Attack on Metroid
by Feraligreater328
Summary: Stranded on an unfamiliar planet after having her seeming final conflict with her most hated foe Ridley, Samus Aran is now stuck having to help humanity deal with the ever looming threat of the Titans! However, Titan's might not be the only ones out there...
1. Chapter 1: Crash Landing

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 **Chapter 1: Crash Landing**

 _In a distant corner of the galaxy…_

Laser fire and rockets blasted across the silent expanse as the Space Pirate Mothership blasted away at their eternal foe. That foe, commonly referred to in hushed tones as "The Hunter", was Samus Aran. The Human-Chozo abomination that hounded them was something of a myth to the space pirates. Not in the sense that she was considered imaginary, no, she was _very real_ to any Zebesian that served Ridley and his crew.

However, she was no fairytale. She was a grim specter. The hooded monster that visited them in the dead of night and stole them away to the next life. She was death. And she was coming for them. Unlike his charges, however, Ridley showed no trepidation in facing his longest and most hated foe. "Blast her from the stars! Blast that blasted Hunter into dust of the nebula!"

Ridley screeched out orders as he regarded the reason the Hunter was chasing them. Splicing technology. Experimental issue tech developed by the Federation in order to help struggling species across the galaxy gain the traits they needed in order to once again flourish. Ridley, however, had much more nefarious plans for the device. He wished to use it in order to make his crew unstoppable. His plan, to splice several specially bred Zebesians with his own DNA in order to create an army of unstoppable monsters all for the sake of his benefactor: Mother Brain.

That creature was another piece of work. Mother Brain, the progenitor of the Metroids had her own plans for the splicing technology. After Ridley was done raining his own brand of Hell across the galaxy, Mother Brain was going to raid the scraps for herself. Whereas her Metroid's could be killed with appropriate enough force, Mother Brain had a better plan. She planned to use the splicing technology in order to seed all life with her Metroids. The newborns of all species in the galaxy would have their very DNA infested with the Metroids, allowing Mother Brain to suck off the life energy of every infected person without the having to deal with the possibility of failure.

Of course, Ridley and Mother Brain were well aware that each had a knife stowed away for the others back, but that was for later. They had one extreme problem to handle post-haste.

Meanwhile, Samus was prepared for how terribly things could go with this. In her Gunship, she darted past every obstacle the Space Pirates sent out for her, blasting a few key ships out of the air, causing them to crash into their compatriots and sending them off to a fiery fate. She wished that she could go after them individually, these monsters that she had spent her best years dealing with, but she was too focused on her greatest foe, Ridley.

She knew that he, the Federations much feared "Cunning God of Death" was on the Mothership. The ship furthest away from her. And she wasn't prepared to let him get away from her again. Ridley had survived the worst that she could throw at him: deadly weapons, crashing ships, exploding planets, even COMPLETE OBLITERATION; nothing was enough to keep him down. But now Samus, well past her Prime, was prepared to end it here.

By this point, the Space Pirates were readily clearing from her path. None of them wanted to meet their end in the way she was dishing them out. Samus scowled as she stared ahead, every hateful thought in her head, every tragedy in her life…IT WOULD COME TO A HEAD HERE!

Samus pushed her Gunship to max power. "RIDLEY!"

The ship rumbled beneath Ridley's feet. The ancient beast cackled at the sound. "She's here…"

The Pirate Leader turned around and smiled. "You heard that right?! She's here!"

The giant mound behind Ridley stirred from his sleep, his voice booming like crumbling planetoid. "Yeah…I heard. I call first crack!"

Ridley snickered. "By all means! But I get whatever you don't eat!"

Ridley smiled a toothy smile as his First Lieutenant rose, towering over everything in sight and lurching towards the most hated foe. He released a mighty belch and scratched at his stomach, sloppily avoiding detonating the explosive spikes imbedded in his stomach.

Samus rose from the rubble of her ship crash, a trickle of blood ran down her face as she limped from the flaming remains of her Gunship. Samus tapped at her wrist communicator and pressed the alarm button for her ship. It weakly beeped before finally dying out. Samus regarded it with a wistful gaze. "You've carried me through quite a lot…thank you for your service. Rest in peace ship…"

Samus winced in pain at her head wound, but powered through it, pulling her helmet over her face and cocking her cannon. This was going to be it, it seemed. The Bounty Hunter silently trekked her way through the ship, avoiding any crew she could and silently executing the ones who had managed to spot her. Eventually, she reached what she was searching for: The Motherships power core.

She took a breath and leveled her arm cannon at the core, only to be bashed aside by an arm the size of a bullet train. Samus shakily stood and glared at her assailant, his formerly three-eyed mug glaring in at her, a gigantic metallic eyepatch covering what used to be his most defining facial feature, a sadistic grin on his face. "Heya there Hunter!"

Samus cracked her neck and cocked her arm cannon. "Kraid."

And then, without a word, the two of them went at one another. Kraid took several swipes at Samus, his drill-like claws spinning as swiping at her, he belched rocks, chunks of metal, and half-digested Metroids at Samus. And, to the aging bounty hunters credit, she was still managed to dodge pretty well. She evaded the rock projectiles, the hunks of former ships, and the Metroids, freezing them and using them as platforms to climb to Kraid's remaining eyes. Kraid attempted to shield himself from her blaster fire, but, inevitably, the massive monster was rendered completely blind. Kraid took a few last desperate swipes at Samus, only to eventually be blasted and missiled into submission.

Samus took a knee, fatigue wearing on her. As she stopped for breath, Kraid began to laugh. Samus stared at the monster, at first in silence, but eventually breaking out into giggles of her own. Kraid sputtered and choked, eventually managing to force out a bit of praise for his hated enemy. "All of these years…and I still haven't managed a single win over you. Not once…"

Samus laughed, her chortling now sounding more tired than jovial. "Not one single time…there are Metroid drones that have wins over me, you know…"

Kraid sighed, resting into a smile. "Thank you, for rubbing salt into my wounds. Goodbye…Hunter…"

Suddenly, Kraid's tongue shot out from his mouth, wrapping around Samus and pulling her into his mouth. The monster's jaws clamped shut and his cracked a contented grin. And then, Kraid's head exploded into a violent display of bone and blood. From the pile of pulp that used to be the Pirate Sub-Commander's skull, Samus came stumbling out. "Goodbye Kraid."

Samus turned her attention to the power core, she was nearing the end of her rope. The bounty hunter silently raised her cannon to the power core and charged a beam, firing it dead center.

Ridley stood in his quarters, preparing himself for the conflict he knew was coming his way. He sharpened his claws in anticipation of the dramatic climax of his career. This was the peak of every accomplishment in his life. That woman, that insignificant speck of life that just refuses to die, this would be the moment where her story would end. Ridley was so intently waiting for this moment, that it was no surprise when the ships core exploded behind him. Ridley stepped out from his quarters and faced down his most hated of enemies. Ridley grinned wide and cackled. "Hello there Hu-…No. Hello there, Samus."

Samus scowled at Ridley. "Don't ever speak my name at me."

Ridley smiled at jumped from the balcony on which he stood, crashing down in front of her. "Why not, Samus? Does it anger you that I would speak your name?!"

Samus growled. "The splicer technology. Now."

Ridley growled back. "Do you honestly think it would be that easy?"

Ridley grinned like a madman, shoving the splicer technology down his throat, swallowing it whole. "It's never that easy!"

Samus glared at Ridley. "I have no problem tearing you open. I did just blow Kraid's head off!"

Ridley cackled. "Did you? That's funny! Oh well, it's not like he was irreplaceable."

Samus cocked her arm cannon and pointed it at Ridley. "Enough talk. Spit up the technology! NOW!"

Ridley turned to Samus, closing his eyes and splaying his claws. "MAKE ME!"

Ridley jumped into the air and tackled Samus full-speed, sending the two of them sprawling into the control room. Samus rose up, firing off several shots at Ridley. Ridley smirked and picked up a claw-full of his crewmen, using them to block Samus' laser volley. The space dragon roared and shot a stream of flames at Samus. Her suit immediately activated its temperature shields, protecting her from most of the intensity. Unfortunately, the heat caused her visor to fog up and, by the time she had managed to wipe it, Ridley was right in her face.

The Titanic Dragon, with a single swipe of his mighty claws, knocked Samus across the room, sending her helmet flying from her face. The tired bounty hunter stood up, clutching her cannon, and stared Ridley down. And then Ridley did something entirely unexpected, he began to laugh.

Samus broke into a giant coughing fit as Ridley's dark cackle emanated throughout the now empty control room of the Space Pirates Mothership. Samus growled at Ridley as she shakily attempted to stay standing, roughly wiping silver hair from her face. "What are you laughing at?!"

Ridley snorted and wiped a tear from his eye, staring down Samus and breaking into another giggling fit. "You. Got. OLD!"

Samus stared down Ridley, her confidence slightly waning. She looked down at a piece of broken glass next to her foot and looked at herself. Her once golden hair now a dull, tarnished silver, her once flawless face now weighed down by bags of fatigue beneath her eyes, and her eyes themselves, her once determined, crystal blue orbs now lacked their sheen and their spark. Samus clenched her fist and glared at Ridley. "What does that matter?!"

Ridley preened at his mortal enemy. "What does it matter?! Look at you! I can't believe how…AWFUL you look! Especially compared to how you used to be! Can you even support your own weight anymore?! How much work is that suit doing?!"

Samus remained terse. Time had not been good to her. Phazon poisoning, a life on the run for crimes she didn't commit, and constant fighting against people like Ridley and Kraid and Mother Brain…she was tired. And she knew it. Her prime was past her, and this was her final dance. Samus searched her mind for what to do next as Ridley continued to insult her.

"I mean, SERIOUSLY! This is why I seek to conquer worthless species like you! You have nothing on species like mine! You're made of flesh; I'm constructed on armor. You rot as you live and all I have to do it consume to stay young! Consume and consume and consume! Just like I consumed the people of K2-L! Just like I consumed your parents!"

Samus flinched at Ridley's words. She did her best to maintain her normal, emotionless façade, but there was no doubt, Ridley's words stung. She searched for what to do on the inside, but was coming up with nothing. She was old, and she felt empty on the inside. Her fire was nearly extinguished.

Ridley cackled as his foe appeared to be almost broken. He knew the perfect thing to say to finish her spirit for good. "And just like I consumed _Anthony Higgs_!"

That was the spark. Samus exploded from her funk, erupting into a storm of violence. Her fist connected with Ridley's beak, smashing teeth from his ugly maw and sending him flying. Samus grabbed her helmet, ramming it over her head and tackling Ridley. She rammed her cannon into his mouth and began charging it, the entire time punching her hated foe in the face over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and then, she blasted everything she had right down his throat, setting Ridley's insides ablaze and rocketing him into the already unstable power core.

The impact of Ridley's body colliding with the core finished it off, causing the Mothership to break in two and explode, sending all of the debris into the gravitational pull of a nearby green planet. Samus watched, helpless as she plummeted down. She closed her eyes and collapsed onto the little floor that remained under her feet. "I guess this is where it ends…"

 _On the planet's surface…_

The people of the Shinganshina stared in horror at the top of Wall Maria. For, upon the top of the Wall, a phenomenon that had never been seen before had perched itself. Giant fingers, larger than cannons, had gripped onto Wall Maria. And then, something even more horrific, those fingers hoisted up a giant, grimacing, skinless head. The gigantic horror stared down upon their terrified faces.

The appearance of the Colossal Titan was a grim reminder towards all of humanity. At that terrible moment, in their hearts, they knew. Home was their pen. And they…were the cattle.

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	2. Chapter 2: That Day

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 _ **VERY SPECIAL AUTHOR'S NOTE! PLEASE READ!**_ _: In all of my stories, I make sure to give credit to the source material before I get to writing, but this is a special case. Most of this Chapter, admittedly, is me rehashing the first episode of Attack on Titan. I would NEVER normally do this, but it's essential to the plot of my story that I put this in here. However, things will be mostly my original work from here on. But, this is the point of this note: If, for some reason, you're reading this and haven't seen Attack on Titan, GO WATCH IT! If you like this sort of thing, you won't be disappointed. It's an awesome Manga, it's a spectacular Anime (subbed or dubbed) and the Anime is getting a Season 2 THIS YEAR (2016)! Well, end of note. Thank you for taking the time to read if you did. I hope you continue to enjoy my own original material after this Chapter! ;) But, of course, I'd still recommend reading this through, I put in some new ideas nearer to the end of the Chapter._

 **Chapter 2: That Day**

People fled, screaming for their lives as the mindless hordes of Titan's invaded their formerly peaceful city. Unfortunately, not all people were so lucky. Whilst some escaped, others were not as fortunate.

One priest, believing the Titan's to be an act of God, stood preaching at people to stop and except God's wrath. The top of his head was bitten off first. A terrified woman, unwilling to risk being out in the open tried to escape via the back allies. She was corner and torn to pieces, screaming for her life. Terrified children hid in their houses, screaming for help whence the Titan's noticed them. Their lives were only spared due to the intervention, and deaths, of several Garrison soldiers.

And yet, despite all of this death and destruction going on around him, only one thought was running through Eren Yeager's mind. That thought was the rubble he saw go flying from the breached gate, the gate the Colossal Titan had kicked in, towards his home. He had immediately bolted, leaving his best friend Armin standing there and nearly leaving behind his adopted sister Mikasa. As the two of them made is closer to home, and it was becoming more clear to Eren exactly where that boulder had landed, a pit began to form in his stomach. He and Mikasa rounded the corner onto their home street and their fears were realized. The rubble had crushed their house, the last place they had seen their mother.

Carla Yeager was fading in and out of consciousness. She honestly had no idea what had happened. One moment, she was washing the dishes from lunch, and the next she was lying in rubble. She tried to move, to pick herself up, but something was stopping her. The feeling in her legs was gone and she was stuck, and she had no idea what was happening. At least, she didn't know until a neighbor family ran by, followed closely by a ravenous Titan. Carla despaired at her predicament, but also felt a sense of serenity. She was alone, and terrified beyond all belief, but at least Eren and Mikasa were probably safe.

"Mom! MOM!"

Carla's eyes snapped open as Eren and Mikasa came running up. If both her arms were free from the rubble she would've simultaneously hugged and throttled her bull-headed only son.

Eren was distraught, but quickly turned to Mikasa. "Mikasa! Grab that end and hoist with everything you've got!"

Mikasa meekly nodded and the two got to work, each pulling from a different side of what used to be the roof of their collapsed house, vainly attempting to exhume their mother's crushed form. However, all three members of the Yeager household fell silent as they heard it stomping up behind them, the plodding footsteps of a Titan.

After a brief pause, Eren immediately got back to the task at hand, barking orders to Mikasa. "Hurry up DAMMIT!"

Mikasa struggled with the weight, wiping terrified tears from her cheeks. "I'm trying…"

Carla's attention, however, remained on the approaching threat to her children. "It's them! The Titans…you got to get out of here!"

Eren ignored his Mother, continuing to try to lift the fallen house. Carla worriedly growled out. "Eren! Just take Mikasa and run! NOW!"

Eren shook his head. "I want to more than anything! But first I NEED YOU ON YOUR FEET!"

Carla sighed, even in times of crisis, Eren's thick headedness was almost too much to bear. Carla tried her best to remain calm, not wanting to yell at her son. "Sweetie…I need you to listen to me! My legs are crushed. Even if you got me out of here, I can't run…There's no time for this!"

Eren shook his head. "Whatever! I'm not leaving you Mom! I CAN CARRY YOU!"

Carla trembled, but then she snapped. "WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE?!"

Eren flinched as his Mom continued. "One thing! I'm asking you to do ONE THING Eren!"

Mikasa, still trying to lift the roof, began to sob. She knew. She knew that she was, once again, about to lose her Mother.

Carla turned to Mikasa, her face dead serious. "Mikasa! Make him go!"

Eren turned to Mikasa, a look of pure horror on his face. He nodded at her and she nodded back and they continued their work in trying to lift the house.

Carla lowered her head and mutedly screamed into the ground. "Do you two want all three of us to die?!"

Suddenly, Hannes, a Garrison Soldier and friend of the Yeager family, zipped down on his ODM Gear. Carla saw him and hope flickered into her eyes. Hannes would take care of her children. "Hannes! Take the children and get them out of here!"

Hannes stared down at Carla Yeager's crushed form. This woman's husband had saved his own wife from a terrible sickness, he couldn't just abandon her here. Hannes bent over and smiled at Carla. "C'mon Carla, that's not our only option. I'm a trained soldier! My skill set is killing Titan's and saving lives!"

And then Hannes bolted, he ran past the Yeager household towards the approaching Titan. Carla desperately screamed after him. "No! Wait! Don't do this! Please! You're the only one who can save them!"

Hannes ignored her, drawing his blades for battle. He thought to himself as he prepared to engage. "Nothing fancy! Just take it down and get all three of them out of harm's way. Make good on the debt you owe to these-"

Hannes stopped in his tracks, all of his courage gone. The Titan that he was preparing to engage stared down at him like the bug he was. Its mouth twisted up into a sick grin, it's narrow eyes focused down on him, not a person, but the next meal. Hannes immediately turned on a dime and ran back, scooping up Eren and Mikasa and giving Carla one last sad look.

Eren screamed at the top of his lungs. "NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! PUT ME DOWN YOU BASTARD!"

Carla sadly looked back up at Hannes, mouthing the words "Thank you" and motioning him away.

Hannes squeezed his eyes shut and bolted, not looking back. He couldn't look back. He'd turn around if he looked back. He had to get these kids to safety.

All the while, however, Eren blared out a stream of futile protests. "WAIT! NO! WE CAN'T LEAVE MY MOM!"

Carla tried to remain silent, she wanted them to forget about her, to look away, but her voice managed to break free from her hastily sealed lips. "I LOVE YOU! YOU HEAR ME?! I LOVE YOU BOTH SO MUCH! SO PLEASE, STAY ALIVE!"

Tears streamed from Carla's eyes as she watched her children flee from the Titans…and from her. "WAI-"

Carla hastily clamp her free hand over her mouth, muffling her sobs and cries for help. She knew, she knew that if she called for help, they would come back and they would die with her. Carla sank her finger nails into her face, desperately holding onto the "Fight-or-Flight" pleas raining out. She let out one last muffled cry. "Please don't leave me…I don't want to be without you…"

And then the Titan began to dig. I very quickly tossed the roof aside, as if it were made of papier-mache. The monster pulled Carla's broken body from the rubble, slowly lifting her upwards. Carla bashed her fists against the Titan's mighty grip, but the monster merely squeezed harder, crushing the poor woman's insides. Carla coughed up a stream of blood at the Titan slowly inserted her into its mouth.

Eren let out one last futile cry. "NO! STOP!"

And then a ball of flame fell from the sky, crushing both the Titan and Carla. Eren's voice hitched in his throat, but it quickly broke free again. "MOM! MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

Hannes and Mikasa both darted their eyes in horrified confusion. Not only had Titan's invaded Shinganshina, but now hellfire was raining from the sky. Hannes just barely managed to dodge a piece of burning rubble, accidently dropping Eren in the process.

Eren immediately began bolting back to his house, but as Hannes tried to stop him, a hand clutched onto his ankle. Hannes looked down and stared in horror at the bug-like monstrosity that was grabbing at him. It begged him. "Pleeeezzzeee…help me…"

Hannes wanted to vomit, but pulled free from the monster and ran to grab Eren. As he picked up the struggling adolescent, Hannes had to deal with tiny fists striking him in the head. "You bastard! You left her to die! I hate you! You coward!"

Hannes stood there in silence, tears flowing down his cheeks. Normally he'd make a game of arguing with the precocious little brat on his shoulders, but, at this point, Eren was absolutely correct. Hannes felt, deep down in his very soul, that he was the biggest coward in Wall Maria. Now, all he could do was keep these children alive.

Meanwhile, at the gate that lead to the inner wall, the Garrison Members stared at the sorry display in front of them. Their station commander, Hannes, ran through the gate at top speed, carrying two shell-shocked kids in his arms and keeping his face hidden.

One of the Garrison soldiers, Hugo, finally broke the stunned silence. Titans invading Shinganshina, flaming debris raining from the sky, he only had one thing to say. "It's the apocalypse."

And then, his eyes fell on something even more dreadful. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!"

All of the Garrison soldiers saw the horror in front of them. A Titan, covered in armor plating.

Eren and Mikasa both sat in stunned silence. Mikasa couldn't form words, she didn't even notice that Armin, their friend, had not only survived, but was sitting right next to them. Eren stared emptily back at his now ex-home, everything he cared about there was gone, there was nothing left. And then the Armored Titan burst through the Inner Wall. Every member of the Shinganshina Garrison, except for Hannes, was sent flying, the impact having killed them all.

Suddenly, the fire came back into Eren. Bitter tears poured from his eyes and rage gnarled his young features. He stood and ran to the side of his escape boat as it floated away from the burning mess that was his home. "ALL OF YOU! I SWEAR, I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU! IF IT'S THE LAST THING I EVER DO, YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS! EVEN IF IT KILLS ME!"

As Eren screamed into the void, one last piece of burning debris fell from the sky and shot over the escape ship, it streaked all the way across the now Titan-claimed land of Wall Maria and landed in a shallow stream, a fair distance away from a tragically unaware village of innocent people.

Samus Aran's broken body flow downstream, her Power Suit hurriedly attempting to correct the damage done. " **OCCUPANT: SAMUS ARAN. STATUS: CRITICAL. HERMETICALLY SEALING SUIT.** "

The joints on Samus' suit clicked together with bursts of steam. " **CHANGING INTO MORPH BALL MODE.** "

Samus' limp form easily compacted into its familiar spherical shape. " **NOW ENTERING: RECOVERY MODE.** "

Samus, trapped in her Morph Ball, sank to the bottom of the confluence the stream had carried her too. Completely unconscious, she laid their as her armor slowly repaired her wounds.

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	3. Chapter 3: The Breach of Trost

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 **Chapter 3: The Breach of Trost**

 _5 years later…_

Eren Yeager stood atop Wall Rose. He stared determinedly into the now wilds of Wall Maria. He was ready, ready for the future yet to come.

After the fall of Wall Maria, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa lived in poverty for a while. Their only home a dump, their only food military handouts, and their only comfort being one another. They had Armin's grandfather for a while, before he was conscripted to try and help retake the fallen human territory. He never returned.

Eventually, they were forced to do something that Eren's mother would never had approved of. Eren was all for, whilst Mikasa and Armin just wanted to stick to their friend. Soon enough, they had all conscribed to the Military, becoming a part of the 104th Trainees Squad.

The next five years was spent in boot camp, learning to fight and use ODM Gear, and making a large group of friends in the process.

Eren took a moment to glance back at those friends. Mikasa and Armin were each on their own duty, but at least he was with people he knew. Thomas and Samuel despaired at the sight of what Sasha had done. The strange farm girl had stolen a superior officers ration of meat, and was planning on spiriting it away for later enjoyment. Connie and Mina, in contrast to Samuel and Thomas, were more concerned with the fact that Sasha didn't seem interested in sharing rather than the fact that she had stolen.

Eren shook his head, they were more than welcome to have their childish argument, he was more focused on the future. The future where he would join the Survey Corp. The future where he would be able to wipe out all of the Titans for what they had taken from him. The future where Walls would no longer be a pen for his kind. That future, the only future he would consider, began today. And then lightning struck.

The blast was powerful. It sent Eren and his entire group flying from the top of the Wall and over the edge. Utilizing their quick reflexes, the lot of them had managed to hook onto the side of the Wall with their ODM Gear. All except for Samuel, who was knocked out by the force of the blast.

Sasha immediately sprang into action, detaching one of her hooks and running down the Wall after Samuel, shooting her remaining line and hooking him in the leg, bringing him to a sudden stop. Concerned, she yelled down at her friend. "Samuel! Try not to move! I'll pull you back up."

Samuel didn't respond.

Eren was confused. "What the hell was that?!"

Connie and Thomas' reactions, however, quickly cemented his worst thoughts. Connie's normally loud voice was muted with fear. "It happened again. The Wall has been breached again!"

Eren was about to begin to bark orders, but his thoughts went back to that day and he turned his attention to the sky. Eren hastily thought to himself. "Is it going to start raining fire again?!"

Eren was snapped out of his thoughts by a disturbance atop the Wall. A large, skinless arm shredded across the top, knocking all of the newly implemented cannons from the top. Eren was enraged. He quickly zipped back to the top of the Wall and came face to face with the Colossal Titan. "Hey…it's been a while…YOU MOTHER KILLING BASTARD!"

Eren charged the Colossal Titan, deftly zipping around its massive body and targeting its nape. "IF I KILL YOU THIS NIGHTMARE WILL ALL BE OVER! NO ONE WILL EVERY BREACH THE WALLS AGAIN!"

The Colossal Titan didn't respond, it blasted steam from its body and blew Eren away. Finally, it swiped away the cannons to its right and then disappeared in a cloud of burning steam.

Eren cursed himself. "Dammit! I failed to kill it! DAMMIT!"

Eren zipped back to the top of Wall Rose to regain his focus, he ran over to his friends, all huddled to together and began to yell. "Why the Hell are you guys all-"

He stopped in his tracks and gasped. Eren stared in horror at Samuel's limp body. His eyes barely cracked open, just enough to see that they were rolled back. Sasha was choking back her tears whilst Mina continued to try to wake Samuel up. Thomas glanced up at Eren. "Samuel's neck snapped. We think it might've happened when Sasha saved him from falling."

Sasha's hand was clamped over her mouth, tears streaming from her eyes. Eren could barely hear her speak, but could make out that she was apologizing over and over. "I'm so sorry Samuel…I'm so sorry…"

Eren couldn't believe his eyes, but was snapped back into reality be the arriving squad of more experienced Garrison soldiers. The leader of the squad ran up to Eren. "What happened here?!"

Eren stood in salute. "Sir! The Colossal Titan showed up out of nowhere sir! It kicked in the Wall and destroyed the cannons. I attempted to stop it, but it disappeared!"

The squad leader saluted back. "Very brave of you, cadet! Any casualties?"

Eren looked grimly back at his mourning friends. "One sir. Our fellow cadet Samuel broke his neck after he fell."

The squad leader shook his head. "Unfortunate. Leave him here and take the rest. Head back to base and prepare for battle. The Advance Squad will hold off the Titans for as long as we can."

Eren nodded. "Sir! Our hearts are with the Advance Squad!"

Eren ran over to his friends, gathering them al land rallying them to the base. The others got up and zipped after Eren. Sasha wiped her face and sniffled, give Samuel once last hug before leaving. "Goodbye Samuel…"

Once Sasha was out of sight, the squad leader walked up to Samuel's corpse, giving it a final salute. "Thank you for your service, solider."

He turned and motioned for a subordinate to approach. The soldier ran up. "Sir?"

The Squad Leader glared down at the approaching Titans. "Hang this body from the Wall. If we're lucky, a few of the Titans will mistake him for being alive. Then we can sneak attack them…"

The solider saluted and complied, grabbing Samuel's corpse and getting to work.

Eren smiled as he and his newly appointed squad zipped forth into the now Titan-infested Trost. He looked back on his fellow cadets. Thomas, Mina, and Armin were all reliable. Nac Tius and Myelius Zeramuski weren't the best in boot camp, but he knew he could count on them in a pinch.

Thomas zipped up next to Eren and joked with him. "This is it Eren! We're soldiers now! So…what do you say to a friendly contest?! Most Titan kills at the end of all of this gets the others dinner!"

Eren grinned. "Sounds good! But you're going to be really hungry!"

Mina zipped up next to them. "You think I don't want a piece of this! I'll have all of your food by the end of the day."

Eren zipped forward. "We'll see about that, everyone…LET'S GO!"

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a Titan raced by, tackling Thomas and ramming forward, eventually scaling up the side of a building. Eren and his squad landed, all looking on in horror as the Titan that had taken their friend inched its way around the clock tower. The Titan stuck its ugly maw out and everyone gasped at what they saw. Thomas hung from the Titan's mouth, his face frozen into a look of fear as teeth sank into his stomach. He could barely manage any words as he dangled there, gasping out one final utterance. "Oh God…"

And then the Titan swallowed him.

Eren snapped. He roared into an unyielding rage and shot forward, gunning directly at the Titan that ate his friend. The others followed him, vainly trying to get him to regain his composure. Unfortunately, none of them noticed the hoard of Titans rushing up behind them.

Nac was the first to fall. The Titans didn't even notice him, stepping on poor Nac like a bug as they chased after his squad.

Mina and Myelius heard Nac's final scream and turned, horrified to see that he was stepped on. Unfortunately, Myelius' horror distracted him from defending himself as he was snatched out of the air.

Mina attempted to come to her squad-mate's aid, but was succinctly snatched from the air, her ODM hooks snagged by a Titan, and tossed into a nearby building, her back crashing through a window.

Armin looked on in horror as his friends struggled. He had lost track of Eren and, frozen in fear, he stood and watched his teammates as they faced their ends.

Myelius was done for, he was already halfway eaten, his legs having been chewed off and his screaming upper half begging to be let go.

Mina wasn't doing much better, she wasn't screaming or begging, but she seemed to calm. She was politely, and shakenly, asking the Titan to please not kill her and her friends, all the while with tears streaming down her face. But she was holding on, fighting against the Titan shoving her head into its mouth.

Armin was so shaken, so absolutely terrified, that he had managed to overlook the Titan tromping up behind him.

Eren, whilst his squad was being slaughtered, was flying forth stuck in tunnel vision, He only saw one thing: the monster that ATE THOMAS! He zipped towards the Titan, his voice reduced to unholy grunts of rage, but his momentum was subsequently cut short. A Titan jumped up from a hidden alleyway and snapped off Eren's leg, sending him tumbling across a nearby roof, the tiles crumbling under the moment of his body like dust and leaving him with a forehead and face covered in gashes.

Eren was hazy, he struggled to pick himself up, but slipped back down. He was hurt, badly. He looked around for support, but he saw no-one. Unconsciously, Eren kicked himself for leaving his group behind.

But, his attention was stolen away once he heard screaming. Eren turned and his eyes widened as he saw a Titan lowering Armin into its mouth.

Armin screamed in terror as he began to slip down the Titan's throat. The monster was unfeeling, uncaring as Armin was facing his end. The blonde young man was desperately trying to escape, his fingers looking for something to grasp on, his eyes and mouth being filled with the Titan's foul-smelling saliva, all whilst the sun got farther and farther away. Armin was going to die, and he would never be allowed to see the outside of the Walls. The Titan's jaws slowly began to close and Armin could only watch as his life inched to a close.

Suddenly, the Titan's mouth stopped closing and, very quickly, was pulled open. Armin looked up, only catching a shadow as he finally lost his footing. Armin closes his eyes, prepared for the end, but his hand was abruptly seized. With all of the force of a sudden, powerful gust, Armin was yanked back up and came face-to-face with his best friend.

Eren was missing a leg, his blood dripping out onto the Titan's teeth, but he smiled nonetheless. "You can't die now Armin! We haven't been outside the Walls yet!"

Armin smiled. "Eren!"

Armin's smile faded when Eren suddenly flung him out of the Titan's mouth and onto a nearby rooftop. Armin very quickly got up and stared longingly at his friend. Eren smiled at him. "This is nothing Armin. I might be missing a leg, but we're not done yet! We're going to see the outside of these Walls together!"

Armin got to his feet, instinctively reaching out for his friend. "Eren! Give me your hand!"

Eren laughed, reaching out his hand. "All three of us Armin! You, me, and Mikasa! We'll-"

The Titan snapped its jaws shut, biting off Eren's extended arm and swallowing what was left in its mouth. Armin's eyes widened, he couldn't comprehend what he had just seen, so he screamed. Armin Arlert screamed at the top of his lung, a primal, fearful scream. He was broken. Eren, his lifelong best friend, had just been snuffed out in front of his very eyes, and it broke him.

She ran through the now empty city as she continued her sprint to the Inner Wall of this mysterious place. She had no idea where she was, only that this world was a fresh new kind of Hell. Having run through a pack of cannibalistic giants, saving the poor people whom they were assailing, she wanted nothing more than to find someone who could answer the many, MANY questions that she now had.

She was halfway there when she heard it, a primal, terror-filled scream echo very near her. She rounded the corner and came to a terrible sight. In front of her, at her feet, were the stomped out remains of some poor young man, squashed into the street like a bug.

She looked ahead and came to an even more exasperating sight: a young woman, with glass sticking out of her back, trying her damnedest to avoid having her head bitten. She knew that she couldn't allow this to happen, so she sprang into action.

Mina sniffled and swallowed a lump in her throat. Her arms were losing strength, and when they finally gave out, she would die. Mina choked out a sob. She squeezed her eyes shut and one final thought ran through her head. "Eren! Mikasa! Annie! Someone please save me!"

And then Mina's arms gave out. She let out one last desperate scream as the Titan shoved his head between its teeth. As Mina was giving up, preparing for her head to be bitten off, the top part of the Titan's head suddenly, and violently, exploded off. Mina had no clue what was going on, but was suddenly seized from the stunned Titan's grip and whisked away.

Mina tried to gain her bearings, suddenly able to hear Armin screaming in the distance. She was about to question who saved her, before being thrown down onto the roof they were running on. Mina struggled into a sitting position, her back in pain from the glass sticking in it and saw something unbelievable. A bronze and gold clad warrior sending a Titan flying with a single kick.

Samus grabbed the screaming blonde boy from the air, doing a midair flip and landing on the rooftop. She walked up to the other girl she had saved and sat the boy next to her. The pigtailed young lady, despite being in pain from the wounds on her back, managed to squeak out a single question. "W-who are you?!"

As Samus was about to answer, a third one of the cannibalistic beasts sprung upon them. It opened its mouth to bite Samus, but she cocked her cannon and fired a shot into its stomach, blowing it open and raining out a third young man, this one with short, blonde hair. The pigtailed girl crawled up to him, screaming his name. "THOMAS! Thomas?! Can you hear me?!"

The girl looked up at Samus. "Please. Can you help him?!"

Samus shook her head. "No time at the moment. I need you to listen to me! I'm going to get you all to safety. What's your name?"

The girl sniffled. "My name is Mina Carolina. Who are you?!"

Samus slung Thomas and the near-comatose Armin over her shoulders. "My name is Samus Aran. Now let's get out of here!"

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	4. Chapter 4: Such a Strange, New Planet

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 **Chapter 4: Such a Strange, New Planet**

 _Just before the Breach of Wall Rose…_

A deer silently drank from a large pool of water, a meeting place of several streams. It was a peaceful day for the animal. It had been nothing but peaceful days since five years ago, when all of the humans had disappeared. Nothing was hunting them, harming them, eating them, everything was peaceful.

But, the animal suddenly froze in place. The water it was drinking from began to bubbles, violently bubble. Something was coming up from the bottom of the water! The deer took a trepidacious step back as something exploded from the water. The deer fled into the brush as Samus Aran dragged her aching body out of the confluence where she laid, entombed in her Morph Ball, for God knew how long.

The aging bounty hunter could practically hear her bones creak as she stood up. She quickly pulled her helmet off, allowing her silver locks to fall to her shoulder, and sighed. "What the Hell?"

Samus was honestly surprised, the last thing she remembered was being trapped within a burning space wreck and plummeting down to the planet below. But, this place, it wasn't the type of planet she was used to visiting. It was green, the skies were a beautiful crystal blue, a warm wind blew against her face, and the sun shone bright in the sky.

Samus stood in awe for a few moments, breathing in the atmosphere, but soon snapped back into reality. She accessed her Power Suits internal computer and began to ask questions. "Power Suit. Where am I?"

The suit responded. " **Logistics Unknown.** "

Samus grumbled. "Okay…how long have I been out?"

The suit responded. " **Data Corrupted.** "

Samus angrily sighed. "Well then…How, exactly, and I alive?! It seemed as if my death was certain after the crash of Ridley's ship…"

The suit finally had an answer. " **Emergency Recovery Mode was activated. You were saved from death by an emergency restorative procedure hidden within the programming of this Power Suit.** "

Samus' jaw dropped. "How long have I had THAT?!"

The suit responded. " **It was installed some time ago by Federation General Adam Malkovich before-"**

Samus interrupted the suit mid-sentence. "THANK…you. Thank you for telling me. I require no further information at the moment."

The Bounty Hunter let loose an absolutely tired sigh and massaged her knuckle against her temple. A headache was beginning to develop, and she had no desire to ride it through. She pulled her helmet over her head and began her search for another person who would be able to answer the many questions she had.

Samus made her way to a nearby town. She marched up the cracked and broken street of what appeared to be an abandoned township and despaired. This place looked to be totally empty. Samus kicked a dented, metal gas canister down the street. "Hello?! Is anyone here? I could…I could use some help! I'm not sure where I am!"

Samus looked into the window of an old, decrepit house. She took note of how the inside of the house looked: hastily abandoned, dusty and old, and overall totally somber. It was sad in a weird way, but Samus pressed on. She had to find someone who could help her make sense of her current situation. Soon enough though, Samus did come across a mysterious lifeform.

The creature didn't appear, per say, to be intelligent. It plodded around, an empty but jovial look on its face. As the monster toddled, Samus considered whether to disturb it or not. Eventually, she caved. This was the only form of non-animal life she had come across so far. And, despite its grossly oversized and mal-proportioned body, and total lack of genitalia, this thing did seem to be some form of human life.

Samus approached cautiously. "Excuse me?"

The creature turned and stared blankly at Samus, she slowly inched closer. "Pardon me sir. My name is Samus Aran, I'm a bounty hunter formerly associated with the Galactic Federation. I was wondering if you might be able to tell me where I am?"

The creature turned and stared down at Samus. She faintly smiled to herself, looking it in the eye, it seemed innocent enough. Almost like a gigantic child. Perhaps, just maybe, it wasn't unintelligent, maybe it was just young and lost.

Samus made it a point not to judge things based on their appearances. Having grown up with the Chozo for most of her childhood life, she knew that some of the nicest entities in the Galaxy came in some of the strangest looking packages.

Samus stood there as the creature neared closer. But, as the creature neared closer to her, Samus could tell something was distinctly wrong. The thing seemed to get more and more sinister the closer it got. Its innocent smile seemed to grow into a horrific Glasgow maw, its gigantic doe eyes shadowed over and it loomed over Samus, much in the same way that Kraid or Ridley normally would.

Samus held up her hand at the creature. "Let's take it easy now. There's no reason for us to fight. I'm not harming you and you've done nothing to harm me…so let's just-"

The creature suddenly seized Samus, snatching her from the ground and opening its mouth, it shoved Samus halfway into its gaping, sinister mouth and bit down on her. And then the creature roared. It stumbled back, pulling Samus from its mouth and screeched, its teeth having shattered against the metal that formed her Power Suit.

Samus growled as the monster swung her around like a toy. She was not nearly awake enough for this shit. "Okay then. So, I see diplomacy has failed…"

Samus sighed and rolled into her Morph Ball. The Titan confusedly opened its fist and Samus sprang into action. She spun into the air and dropped a Morph Ball Bomb into the creature's mouth, causing it to explode from the inside, completely obliterating it as she landed behind it.

Samus stretched as she walked away from the exploded monsters steadily evaporating corpse. "Dammit. There had better be something on this planet other than these things."

Samus shook her head and pulled up her suits computer again. "Hey, suit? Any idea what that creature was?"

The Power Suit answered. " **Unknown. The creature previously engaged is not inscribed within any encyclopedic data base. However, I have managed to recover some data.** "

Samus was incredulous. Her voice brimming with sarcasm, she questioned her suit. "And just what would that be?"

The Power Suit responded. " **According to recently recovered tabulations, you have been stuck in Recover Mode for just under five years.** "

Samus' eyes nearly popped out of her head. "FIVE YEARS?!"

Suddenly, as Samus was letting the fact that five more years of her life were gone, a bolt of lightning struck behind her, it's boom sending a shockwave across the entire valley. Samus quickly turned and saw, for the first time, the giant wall that stood in the distance. But, rather than the wall, Samus noticed something MUCH more unsettling: a giant, skinless horror towering next to the wall, steam bursting from its body.

Samus stood there, watching in awe as the creature swung its mighty arm, mowing what appeared to be primitive cannons from the top. And then, after a moment, it disappeared into a cloud of steam.

Attempting to process what she had just seen, Samus barely managed to duck into a building as an army of those cannibalistic monsters, just like the one that had tried to eat her, stormed by. A giant pack of them were headed straight towards the giant wall in the distance. Samus peeked her head out from the building, watching as the beast sprinted towards the wall. Samus activated her Power Suit's visor, zooming in on the wall for further inspection, and then came to a startling discovery. The gate on the wall was broken, and those monsters were plodding in.

Samus was already kicking herself. If all of her years of getting involved in things, and subsequently getting burned by them, had taught her anything, it was that she shouldn't interfere in things that didn't concern her. But, at the same time, she felt that itch in her stomach. That damned itch, the one that told her to risk everything for the sake of others. Samus hated titles. She hated being called a soldier, a warrior, a bounty hunter, or even just a hunter. She wanted nothing more than to be known by people as Samus Aran and nothing more…but, deep down inside, she knew something absolutely dreadful. She knew that as long as people needed help, no matter how jaded life had made her, she would be what everyone needed. Samus would be…a HERO.

Samus cursed herself. "Dammit!"

But, she was off, using the thrusters on the back of her suit, as well as her remaining physical prowess, Samus began her long sprint to the wall.

The Garrison soldiers of the Advance Squad weren't fairing very well. They were undertrained and underprepared for what was facing them. The Titans had invaded in full force and they could do nothing to stop them. The Squad Leader fell first, pounced upon midair and eaten alive, screaming for help.

The civilians weren't fairing any better, they had tried to run, but a terrified mania had set in. The Titans had managed to catch or corner most of them, and they were currently screaming for their lives.

A Garrison solider trying to distract the Titans ran out of gas mid-flight and crashed into a roof. The hopelessness streaked across his face was palpable as he vainly attempted to re-engage his ODM Gear. The terrified young man's last words were a blood-curdling scream for mercy.

The only two members of the Advance Squad left, an older man and a young woman, both perched against the wall, despairing at their inevitable fate. If they went down there, they'd die. But, if they stayed safely stuck to the wall, they'd be forced to watch many others just, just to inevitably die anyway.

The woman was fearful, but something changed at what she saw next. One of the Titans had managed to get a hold of a little girl. The poor, little thing screamed her head off as the Titan lifted her away from her family and towards its mouth. The soldier looked over at her comrade and gave one last solemn nod, and then she jumped down. She engaged her ODM Gear, zipping towards the Titan and kicking it in the back of the head. She quickly slashed the Titan's thumb off, making it drop the girl and screamed for her to run.

The little girl complied, standing and fleeing from the Titans. The Garrison solider smiled, her job done, but was quickly seized by the now healed Titan. The Soldier, despite her bravery in saving the child, was terrified in her own right. She screamed up at her comrade to help her, but he was frozen in place.

She screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks as the Titan opened its mouth, only for a beam of light to nail the Titan in the back of the head. Momentarily stunned, the Titan lost its grip, releasing the soldier.

As she got up, she looked toward her savior and was shocked. Her savior was not a Survey Corpsman, nor were they wearing a military uniform. They purposefully strode forth, clad in bronze and gold armor, and held out a hand for the Garrison soldier to take.

Samus stared down at the female soldier she had just saved, waiting for her to take her hand. After the soldier accepted the help up, Samus looked past her and noticed that the monster, whom she had just shot in the head, was getting back up. Samus was perturbed, but responded to the situation the best way that she knew to: shooting a super missile at the monster and blowing its entire upper torso to pieces. Samus smirked as the monsters remains fizzled away.

Samus looked down at the soldier she just saved, ready to ask what was going on, but was stunned by the woman crying her eyes out. The soldier took no time to latch onto Samus, sobbing gratitude into the bounty hunter's shoulder.

Samus' attention then went from the soldier to the amazed crowd of civilians staring at her as if she was some sort of deity. They stood, in slack-jawed awe, whilst Samus remained completely dumbfounded.

The Galactic Bounty Hunter had never been one for attention. And this many people staring at her all at once was making her VERY uncomfortable. Thankfully, the awkward was broken by the remaining soldier descending from his perch on the wall and running to question Samus. "Who the Hell are you?! And how the Hell did you kill that Titan so easily?!"

Samus glared at him. "Don't you question me! How dare you come down here and start scolding me after abandoning your comrade?!"

The soldier gritted his teeth, but then averted his eyes in shame. Samus grasped his shoulder. "Listen. It's understandable to be scared, but it's time to be brave. You and your comrade need to take these people and flee to somewhere safe. You have a safe place, right?"

The soldier nodded. "Yes. We can flee to the Inner Wall. Everyone will be safe there…for now."

Samus, noticing the trepidation in his voice, silently lifted her cannon and blasted a Titan that had silently snuck up on them. "Fine. Take them and go. I'll hold off these monsters and, myself, escape later…"

Both the soldier grimly nodded, giving Samus what appeared to be some kind of unique salute before taking the group of civilians and fleeing. Samus turned from them and towards the Titan's making their way into the hole in the wall. She steadied herself, coked her cannon, and opened fire on the advancing giants.

After a few minutes of blasting away at the monsters, only for them to continuously get up, Samus decided that enough was enough. She checked her stock of Super Missiles, dreading that fact that she was down to three, and using one to blast away the six beasts that stood before her.

And then Samus sprinted in the opposite direction. She had held the line the best she could, keeping most of the beasts at bay, but a few had made it past her, and that didn't even account for the army of them that had probably made it in before she had arrived. But, now that she had managed to save the people being menaced at the gate, she decided to head towards safety, and hopefully answers, herself.

Not that she wasn't helpful along the way. Samus took frequent stops to distract any monsters that were menacing people, encouraging them to run while she fought. She began her journey to the Inner Wall once more, after saving a poor, confused, young soldier from a grisly fate, only to be stopped in her tracks by an ear piercing scream. Samus sighed and quickly altered her path, sprinting in the direction of the scream, ready to help.

And now here she was, two critically injured kids and a catatonic third one. And, well, the more she looked at these people, barely out of diapers and already in an army nonetheless, and she was angry. These people were children, why in the world were they fighting cannibalistic giants? Samus' anger only increased when she rounded a corner and came to a disturbing sight: more children, all in military uniforms, stuck on a roof by themselves.

Samus gritted her teeth. This was enough for her. She wanted answers and she was going to get them, right away!

Meanwhile, at a gate leading to the Inner Wall, Mikasa Ackerman couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. She had just finished killing a Titan. She had just finished threatening some greedy, scumbag merchant who wouldn't let people through until his goods were able to get through. And she had just been thanked, wholeheartedly, by a little girl for saving them, even mentioning that Mikasa was the second pretty soldier to save her that day.

But, as Mikasa happily saluted the girl, and watched as she had escaped, something felt wrong. The sky was gray, it was beginning to drizzle, and it felt like she had lost something. She didn't want to believe it, she didn't want her mind to go there, so she simply continued killing Titans. She cut a bloody swathe through the Titans, her steely look never leaving her face. She remained focused as she went back to war with humanity's greatest enemy, one thought subconsciously racing through her mind. She refused to believe it though…there was no way Eren could be dead.

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	5. Chapter 5: Loss

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 _Quick credits: I'd like to thank to people for the way this story has gone so far. First off, my dearest Beta reader JordanPhoenix. And second, a new review with whom I've struck up a conversation on this website, The AccursedHunter01. They're both great people and JP has some excellent Phoenix Wright stories if you like Ace Attorney!_

 **Chapter 5: Loss**

Jean Kirstein was stuck. Both literally and metaphorically he was stuck in place and unable to act on it. He looked around and damned the luck of he and his friends. They were trapped in the now Titan-infested Trost. The gas canisters to their ODM Gear were nearly empty, certainly lacking enough fuel to make it all the way to the Inner Wall _and_ scale it. Not to mention that the refueling station was, itself, infested with Titans. And, even worse, they were all rookies! In the greatest time of crisis that Wall Rose had ever experienced, all of the superior officers either turned tail and ran whence they had the chance, or were reduced to being food for the monsters they were supposedly trained to kill.

Jean was a hair's breadth from giving into despair, but, thankfully, he had Marco. Marco Bott, the heart of the 104th Trainees Squad. He, despite his own fear for his life, tried to remain optimistic for the others. And they sure needed it. Jean looked back at his fellow, doomed cadets. Bertolt was unsure of what to do, but that was no surprise. Reiner and Annie, however were at a loss, a much more concerning prospect. And then, there was Connie and Sasha. Despite placing 8th and 9th is the 104th Trainees Squads graduating class, the two of them were going through an absolutely heartbreaking breakdown. Connie was convinced that he was going to die, that nothing could save him at this point. Sasha, meanwhile, was uncharacteristically quiet. Apparently, Samuel had died from her attempting to save him, and it was weighing on her mind. Jean sighed, as annoying as Potato Girl could be, seeing her like this wasn't pleasant. Even if they were all going to die, he wished that she would go back to being her cheerful self, just for a moment.

Unfortunately, thoughts of better times were abruptly interrupted. Jean flinched in fear as several Titans came lumbering up to he and his stranded little pack of friends. Now they were screwed. Connie and Sasha both screamed, grasping onto one another. Marco cowered to the ground, terrified of what he knew was coming. Reiner and Annie prepared to fight whilst Bertolt cowered behind them. Jean could only stand there, stuck in place, dreading the oncoming loss of life. Despite his pride instantly kicking him for it, his thoughts instantly fell to Eren. "Why can't that Suicidal Bastard show up and help us, if anyone could handle this, bravely to the point of stupidity, it would be him.

A Titan came up next to Jean, slowly reaching for him. "Or Mikasa! Please! We need Mikasa! Or Eren! Anyone!"

But, Jean was shocked, right as the Titan was about to grip him, the monster was repelled. To it and Jean's surprise, the Titan was repelled by a sudden, intense bolt of light to the face. The Titan fell to the ground, it's face sizzling. Suddenly, to Jean's shock, a copper and gold warrior smashed down before him, throwing Armin, Mina, and Thomas onto the roof, before springing into action.

The warrior jumped into the air, deftly avoid the army of Titans aiming to strike them down. The cadets all stared in awe as she blasted each Titan to the ground with her cannon. The warrior landed on a nearby roof, instantly damning the Titans. "What the Hell does it take to kill these things?"

Jean watched as the Titans, recovering from damage that would've killed any other creature, stood back up, already healing. The warrior cocked her cannon and turned to Jean and the others. "Why are you all standing there?! RUN!"

The warrior jumped from her perch, plowing into the pile of Titans and smashing them to the ground. Once again, everyone could only stare in awe as this person, no taller than Reiner, wrestled with several Titans at once.

The warrior screamed at the top of her lungs as she fought against the monsters. "WHY THE HELL WON'T YOU DIE?!"

Suddenly, Mina popped back to life. Jean flinched at the sight of all of the broken glass jutting out of her back. Mina, clearly in pain, yelled to the warrior. "Samus! You have to shoot the nape of their neck! It's the only way to kill them!"

Samus dug herself out of the pile of wriggling, cannibalistic flesh. "Are you kidding me?! That is LITERALLY the most contrived thing I've ever heard!"

But, as soon as the Titans weak point became clear, Samus got to work. She fired the first shot into the nearest Titans nape, causing the beast to crumble to the ground, dead. The next five Titans fell just as easily, all collapsing into piles of steaming flesh.

And then it was just Samus. She slowly climbed her way onto the rooftop with Jean and his group. Jean was, at first, afraid to near the person who, without ODM Gear, had managed to kill that many Titans. He almost considered her to be some sort of God. But, that reverence fell down to a much more human level when Samus fell down onto her back, dead tired.

Samus groaned as she laid there, now truly feeling her age. The boost that recovery mode had given her had worn off, and now everything ached. Samus took a few deep breaths, closing her eyes and silently willing an oncoming headache away. She silently moaned to herself. These headaches had been all too commonplace since the Phazon incident.

After a few moments, Samus opened her eyes. However, when she opened them, she was shocked and mortified to see an entire group of unfamiliar people crowded over her. She quickly stood up, putting some distance between her and them and regaining her composure.

She and the cadets stared at each other, each side confused as to what to say to the other. There was a palpable silence for a solid minute. Finally, the long faced boy with ash brown hair spoke up. "E-excuse me? But…um…WHO ARE YOU?!"

Samus flinched at his sudden screaming, only to be further cowed by the others speaking up. The short bald one was going on about how cool she was, whilst the brown haired girl was expressing a childlike interest in her armor. The three in the back, two blondes and a dark-haired guy, were dourer, asking where in the world she came from and the source of her Titan killing prowess.

Samus was a deer in the headlights. These sorts of social situations had always eluded her, she absolutely hated talking to people, especially large groups of them. And, right now, she would've taken anything to get her out of this situation. Thankfully, her prayers were answered by a Titan pouncing on her and swallowing her in one bite.

Jean and the others reacted with horror, the best hope they had ever seen at handling the Titans, swallowed whole. As the Titan approached the rest of them, ready to feast, Mikasa came zipping in. She calmly produced a new set of blades, taking aim at the Titan's nape and flying towards it. Unfortunately, Mikasa's kill was interrupted by a sudden blast of energy from within the Titans neck. She was sent crashing into the roof whilst Samus flopped out of the smoldering remain, back onto her back. Wordlessly, they took a moment to glare at one another, two of the biggest introverts in the universe, glaring right in each other's faces. However, Samus sighed. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to shoot you…"

Mikasa pushed herself into a sitting position, cracking her back. "I'll be fine."

Samus turned her attention from Mikasa to the other children, shaking her head and finally speaking. "To answer all of your questions, my name is Samus Aran. I'm a bounty hunter. I'm…honestly reaching my limit here. So, I could use a second to rest. How about you guys introduce yourselves?"

The others nodded, introducing themselves as Mikasa Ackerman, Reiner Braun, Bertolt Hoover, Annie Leonhart, Jean Kirstein, Marco Bott, Connie Springer, and Sasha Braus.

Samus nodded. "Nice. Very nice names. Now, a follow up question: WHY THE HELL ARE CHILDREN OUT HERE FIGHTING THESE THINGS?!"

Everyone remained silent, no one had a straight answer to give her. Samus stood. "I don't know what kind of military you all are a part of, but you must have commanding officers, right?! Where are they?!"

Once again, silence. After a few moments, Reiner spoke up. "They…either abandoned us here…or died…"

Samus was speechless. If her helmet was off, her jaw would've visibly dropped. Having lost her own childhood innocence to a cannibalistic beast, Samus had never been fond of seeing children used in any way, especially as soldiers, but these kids weren't even being used as soldiers. They were nothing more that cannon fodder out here. She was about to question what kind of halfwits were running this military, but was interrupted by Mina crying out. Everyone turned, expecting Mina to be crying over her own wounds, but she was instead crying over another fallen soldier: Thomas.

Thomas Wagner laid on the rooftop, roughly coughing up nearly as much blood as was seeping from his stomach wound. Barely able to open his eyes, he turned to Mina and began to ask her questions. "Ugh…Mina? Is…is everyone okay?"

Mina opened her mouth to answer, but her voice hitched. And with Armin still sitting there, nearly catatonic, everyone turned to Samus, hoping she could answer.

Samus turned her head, not able to look at all of the doe-eyed children in front of her, hoping to hear the best about their friends. Samus was terse, but managed to mumble out a straight answer. "These were the only three that I found alive."

Samus looked over all of the kids, the hope draining from their faces. However, the worst physical response was Mikasa. Samus couldn't help but flinch as this girl, who was quite possibly the toughest person here, noticeably cringed at the news. Samus mentally groaned. Why in the world did she have to be the one to deliver this news. It was clear, this poor young woman had just lost someone precious to her.

To make matters worse, this dark news was given a soundtrack of bitter, sad laughter. Thomas, dying on the ground, was bellowing and absolutely depressing sound. Tears streamed down his face and he was reduced nothing more than sadly giggling at his fate. And then, he began to apologize.

Thomas squeezed Mina hand. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that I went down first…"

Everyone remained in respectful silence as Thomas sobbed his final words. "I can't believe it. Nac and Myelius and Eren…they died because of me. Dammit…"

Connie, attempting to make Thomas feel better, interjected at that. "It's not your fault Thomas! It's not…Nac and Myelius and Eren all went into this knowing the risks. They didn't deserve this…but they were prepared for it. There's nothing you could've done!"

Connie shook him. "You understand that, right Thomas?!"

Connie shook him again. "Thomas?"

Thomas Wagner's hand limply fell from Connie's. "Thomas…"

Reiner stepped up, solemnly closing Thomas' eyes. Sasha helped Mina onto her feet and the remaining members of the 104th Trainees Squad took a brief respite to salute their fallen comrade.

Mikasa was the first to break the salute, walking over to Armin and gently shaking his shoulder. "Armin. Armin, wake up."

Suddenly, Armin snapped back into reality. He quickly looked around, darting his gaze from left to right before focusing in on Mikasa. Armin is surprised, but ecstatic, to see her. "Mikasa!"

Mikasa, despite her tough-as-nails demeanor, opened with an ultimate sign of motherly affection for her friend. "Are you okay Armin? Are you hurt?"

Armin warmly smiled, grasping his friend into a hug. "I'm fine! It's so great to see that you're alive!"

Mikasa warmly smiled back, but got straight to business. "Armin. Do you know what happened to Eren?"

The smile fell from Armin's face. His eyes widened and his mouth fell agape. He clamped his hand over his mouth, as if trying to avoid vomiting. Mikasa, however, was totally understanding. She gently rubbed Armin's back, telling him that it was okay, asking him to just explain what happened.

Armin shook his head, telling Mikasa and the others that Eren died saving him from being eaten. That, despite being unable to kill a Titan, he did go out like a true hero.

The others despaired. They had always joked that Eren would be the first of them to die, but they had never expected it to be true.

Armin turned from Mikasa in shame, apologizing to her and begging forgiveness. Mikasa simply smiled at him, grasping his shoulder. "There's nothing you could have done Armin. I don't blame you for any of this. So…don't think that I'm mad at you, because I'm not."

Armin was confused. "Mikasa?"

Mikasa turned and walked up to Samus. "I don't know you. I'll probably never get to know you. But, from what I've seen and heard, you're very capable of killing Titans."

Samus nodded. "I am."

Mikasa turned away from her, walking to the edge of the rooftop. "Keep my friends alive."

And then, with and activation of her ODM Gear, Mikasa was off, zipping away to kill more Titans. All the while, her friends could only watch as she got further and further away, until she was completely out of sight.

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	6. Chapter 6: The Will to Survive

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 **Chapter 6: The Will to Survive**

Samus stood in respectful silence as Mikasa zipped away. The bounty hunter solemnly shook her head, wishing to herself that she had been just a bit faster. Samus walked to the other side of the rooftop. Using her Scan Visor, she began to measure the distance from their location to the fuel depot.

Whilst the others were discussing what to do about Mikasa, Sasha approached Samus, nervously twiddling her fingers. "Excuse me? Samus?"

Samus deactivated her Scan Visor, turning to the currently downcast, brown-haired girl. Samus felt sorry for her, but was never one to sugar-coat things. "I've seen this sort of thing happen before to survivors on the battlefield. Their squad dies, or they lose someone they love whilst away from them, and they decide…that they no longer have the will to live…"

Sasha's eyes widened, her mouth falling agape. Samus continued. "I can only imagine that, seeing as they took someone from her, she wants to take as many of those monsters with her as possible."

Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, Armin jumped to his feet. He tightened his ODM Gear, a determined look on his face. "There is no way I'm going to let her do that!"

And then, before anyone could stop him, Armin was off, going after Mikasa. And then Connie Springer stood up, his knees trembling. "D-dammit! Why do they have to do this to us?! I-I'm can't just leave them here…but I don't wanna stay here and die…"

Samus turned to him. "Quite the predicament huh? Fight or Flight? That's the question that plagues everyone risking their lives…"

Connie's eyes hit the floor, his face pale with shame. "But…I'm scared to risk it. Mikasa and Armin are our friends…"

Samus placed a strong hand on Connie's shoulder. "You're still battling with yourself about it. That makes you better than everyone who abandoned you and your friends here today. So, I'm going to give you an option…"

Connie looked up at Samus, his reflection staring back at him from the lime green expanse of her visor. Samus nodded at him. "If you can find your friends, and get them to a safe hiding spot, I'll come back for you after I get all of these guys to safety…"

Hope shined across Connie's face. "You mean it?!"

Samus responded with a thumbs up. Connie faintly smiled. "No one else has to die today?"

Samus nodded in affirmation. Connie grasped her into a hug. "THANK YOU!"

The Bounty Hunter jumped, trying her best not to squirm in the hug. Connie turned and leaped from the rooftop, zipping away in search of his two errant comrades.

Samus looked over the other remaining cadets of the 104th. "Anybody else have plans on going maverick?"

Everyone shook their heads no. "Good. Now then, who's in charge around here?"

Jean stepped up. "Marco and I are trying to keep everyone together…"

Samus nodded. "Fair enough. Then I'll leave it up to you and Marco. If we happen to come across any others on our way to the fuel depot, I'll kill any offending Titans and you'll bring them along with us. Clear?"

Jean and Marco both nodded. Samus turned to the others. "Everyone! Let's get out of here!"

And with that, with an army of children behind her, Samus began her final push towards the Inner Wall.

Mikasa zipped around, killing Titan after Titan with all the efficiency that helped her attain her Number One graduation rank. The Titans swiped at her, but were nothing more than ineffective lumps of flesh compared to her. She killed eight of them without even trying.

The entire time, throughout her bloody rampage, Mikasa remembered her past. She recalled loving her parents were, and yet, despite their warmth and happiness, how easily they were slain. She remembered the horror of being kidnapped, the plan being to sell her as a sex slave to a wealthy person within Wall Sina, but also recalled how gallantly Eren had saved her, and how they had fought off and killed those kidnappers together. She recalled the intense feeling of loneliness that came with being orphaned, but the lovely feeling of how easily Eren's family had accepted her. But now…Eren was gone.

The sky had clouded over once more. Rain poured from the sky, cooling Mikasa off as the boiling blood of the Titans steamed off her hands. Everything Mikasa had in her life, everything that she had ever loved, she had seen it all taken away: her birth parents, her adopted parents, and now…Eren.

"This World is a Cruel Place."

Mikasa could've gone on forever, killing these creatures that had taken what was hers, but her ODM Gear suddenly ran out of gas. Mikasa fell from the sky, tumbling across a series of rooftops and landing into a pile of trash in an alleyway.

This was it. She had no fuel, no way to escape, Mikasa had decided, her life would end right here, cold and alone, just as life had wanted her to be. Mikasa closed her eyes and thought. She thought or Eren, his rhetoric, his belief that you should never give up no matter what. Mikasa often dismissed those words as nothing more than a hopeless dream. She knew, deep down inside, that Eren's dreams, no matter how enthusiastic he and Armin were about it, were nothing more than childish fantasies.

Mikasa sighed and closed her eyes. Ready for it all to end, she waited, rain pouring down on her, for a Titan to come and finish her miserable existence off. But then, the rain stopped. Mikasa opened her eyes in time to see the clouds part and the sun shine through. Eren's words, his mantra in life, played through Mikasa's head once more. "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

Mikasa stood, staring up at the sky. "No. He wouldn't give. And he'd never forgive me for giving up!"

Mikasa drew her last blades, running out from the alleyway to see a Titan standing on either side of her. She decided that she would try fighting the muscular 15-meter Titan first. But, no matter what, even if she was out of fuel, she would fight until she could fight no longer. As Mikasa ran towards it, a creature that she had no chance against in her current state, one thought ran through her mind. "I won't die! If I die, I won't be around to remember you! EREN!"

"This World is a Cruel Place…But it is also Beautiful."

Suddenly, to Mikasa's surprise, the Titan she was charging reared back and planted its fist into the other Titans face. And then, further stunning Mikasa, the Titan took its rage to other nearby Titans, smashing two with its fists and crushing a third Titan's head with its bare hands.

As Mikasa stood there, completely in awe, she was suddenly scooped from the ground, safely deposited on the roof by Connie and Armin. Together, they watch the Aberrant Titan, in all of its unbridled rage, tear apart any Titan it sees.

Connie is freaked out, but Armin smiles. He turns to his two comrades, a hopeful look on his face. "We could use that Titan. We could use it to clear our way into the fuel depot…"

Connie seemed confused. "But, isn't Samus going to handle that?"

Armin shook his head. "She said it herself, Samus is reaching her limit. I…don't want her to die for us. This Titan is a temporary solution to our problems…with Eren gone, Samus could be the permanent solution."

Connie was freaking out. "You must be nuts! That's a Titan, Armin, a-"

Mikasa suddenly interrupted Connie. "What do we need to do Armin?"

Armin responded. "First, I need you to take my tanks! They're both mostly full so, they should support you…I'll stay here. Maybe someone will-"

Mikasa shot Armin a stern look, grasping his arm in a way that said "there is no way I'm leaving you".

Connie shook his head. "But, what about the Titan? How do we get it to follow us?"

Armin smirked. "We use ourselves as Titan bait. We lure the Titans, the Aberrant kills them, and then rinse and repeat all the way to the depot!"

Mikasa, deftly replacing her tanks with Armin's and ordering Connie to carry him. Then, they jumped from the roof and began to enact Armin's plan.

Jean stared, still completely star-struck, as Samus shot her cannon into another Titan's nape, blowing the monster's entire upper neck into pieces. She grabbed the terrified cadet that it was trying to eat and threw him into formation, telling him to follow.

Jean glance over at Samus. Without looking, she answered his inquisitive gaze. "May I help you?"

Jean fumbled his words, clearly nervous. "Uh…I…uh…I mean…wh-what the Hell is that cannon of yours firing?!"

Samus cocked her cannon. "It fires a standard Power Beam. By itself, the beam probably couldn't kill these things, but I've been using the Charge Shot. I'm also normally armed with a battey of Super Missiles, but I'm running low on them, so I'm saving my last one in case that skinless horror shows up again…"

Marco's eyes widened. "You mean…you could kill the Colossal Titan?!"

Samus nodded. "I've killed a creature about as big as it was."

Jean gritted his teeth. "You mean…there's more than one? More than one monster that big?!"

Samus shook her head. "Not anymore. I killed Kraid five years ago…apparently…"

Samus' attention was called down to the cries of a person below. "Hey Jean, do you know that girl?"

Jean looked down, horrified to see Hannah Diamant, knelt onto the ground and crying her eyes out. "Yeah, I know her."

Samus split from the group. "Check to see if she's injured…I'll take care of the two Titans hiding in that alleyway."

Jena landed as Samus began firing into the alleyway. "Hannah! Why are you just kneeling there?! We have to-"

Jean stopped, unable to say anything else as he looked down at the sad display before him. Franz Kefka laid there on the ground, his eyes closed. Hannah, meanwhile, was attempting CPR, her eyes flowing with tears, begging Franz to come back to her.

Hannah jumped when Jean touched her shoulder. "OH, JEAN! Thank God! I need your help…Franz won't wake up!"

Jean swallowed a lump in his throat. "Hannah…"

Hannah screamed, trying more chest compressions. "Please! Come back Franz…I haven't even gotten the chance to tell you yet. I love you…"

Jean stared on in horror. Fighting back his own piteous tears as Hannah continued to try to resuscitate her dead love, seemingly unaware that Franz had been bitten in half, and that she was futily breathing air into his upper half. Jean glanced up at the others, all of them staring on in horror. He turned around a mouthed the words. "HELP ME!" up at them.

The others remained frozen in place, unable to process what exactly to do here. Eventually, Sasha came down, walking up to Hannah and kneeling next to her. "Hannah…we have to go…"

Hannah shook her head. "NO! I can save him! Breathe Franz!"

Neither Sasha, nor Jean knew what to do. They…couldn't bring themselves to tell her. It would crush her.

Samus came running up to them. "I've killed the Titans. What's the hold up?!"

Sasha silently pointed down at Franz's corpse. Samus sighed and walked up to Hannah, pulling her to her feet. "Listen. I know that you're upset about this, but I'm going to be blunt: your friend is dead."

Hannah violently shook her head. "No! I can still save him!"

Samus gripped Hannah's shoulders. "No. You can't. He's gone. But, listen, you know that he wouldn't want you to stay here and die. So come on!"

Hannah shoved her way past Samus, bending back down to Franz. "No. Not until he comes with me!"

Samus had had enough, she grabbed Hannah by the jacket collar and threw her back. And then, the Bounty Hunter took aim, charged her beam, and fired on Franz's remains, blowing them to pieces. "HE IS DEAD! NOW COME ON!"

Hannah fell to her knees, completely silent. Samus growled and turned to Sasha. "Grab her! We need to get going! I still have to go back and save those other three!"

Sasha carefully picked up Hannah, balancing her over her shoulders and zipping away. Samus leapt away too, ordering the others to follow. Jean, however, took a moment. He looked at the scorch mark that used to be Franz Kefka and saluted, and then he zipped away with the others.

The few remaining Garrison in the fuel depot were trapped. They sat there, stuck in their office, shivering in fear as the Titans smashed their faces against the side of the building, attempting to get to them. One of the soldiers looked down at her compatriot. He had given in to despair and chosen to end his life on his terms, with a shotgun in his mouth.

The soldier began to cry, she and her remaining to compatriots had been ordered by Captain Woerman to stay behind, in case the Advance Squad returned, but they should've known how hopeless a prospect that was.

Suddenly, right as a Titan had managed to break through, both were hit by beams of pure light. The soldiers jumped as their savoir, a warrior of copper and gold swooped down, leading an army of cadets. The warrior began to bark orders. "Jean! Take everyone down there and clear out the Titans within the fuel depot. I'll stay out here and make sure more don't sneak in on you!"

Jean nodded, grabbing the Garrison soldiers and retreating further into the building.

Jean cinched his ODM Gear tight and addressed everyone in the room. "Okay guys. Reiner and I peeked into the fuel room, it appears as if there are six Titans within the fueling tank holding area. Reiner, Bertolt, Annie, Connie, Sasha, and I will take out the Titans, but we're out of fuel, so we need the rest of you to distract them."

One of the Garrison panicked. "How the Hell are we going to be doing that?!"

Jean pointed to the nearby lift. "You'll lower the lift down and draw them to you. And then, once their close, you'll shoot out their eyes and then we'll jump down and secure the kill."

Slowly but surely, the others came to agree with Jean, they knew his plan was their best option of escape. They all picked up their guns and proceeded into the lift, ready to end this and escape.

However, Marco turned around and noticed, to his confusion, that Hannah wasn't moving. He called out to her. "Hannah?!"

Hannah sniffled, her lower lip quivering. And the, she mumbled her last words. "I'm sorry Franz…"

And then, to the horror of her friends, Hannah levied her rifle to her mouth and fired. The room was rendered speechless. Jean shook his head, grabbing a nearby sheet and throwing it over Hannah's remains. "Let's just…get this over with…"

All the others nodded, turning and getting to work. Not a single one of them could bring themselves to look back at their fallen friend. Jean, however, stayed behind for a moment. He held up his trembling fist and shook his head. "I'm getting so tired of doing this…"

Jean saluted Hannah's body and then turned heel and got to work.

Meanwhile, outside the depot, Samus was blasting away at the Titans. She had managed to gain a second wind and was back to demolishing them like a machine. Titan after Titan fell to her and she had barely gotten started.

After a few minutes of killing more and more Titans, Samus was suddenly surprised by a much different Titan bursting onto the scene. The monster didn't attack her, but rather, it attacked its own kind. Samus didn't care. She left it to its work, it was making her job easier after all. So, she left it alone, meaning to kill it once the area was clear.

Samus continued her killing spree, uncaring and focused, not even registering the fact that Mikasa, Armin, and Connie had arrived. Soon enough, she felt that the area was clear enough for her to kill this new Titan. Coincidentally, it turned and noticed her at the same time. Samus pointed her cannon at the beast, super charging a Charge Shot and aiming at the Titan's throat. "So long Monster."

But, before she could fire, Armin intercepted her. Samus quickly lower her weapon and the Titan ran past her, clocking another oncoming Titan in the face. Samus turned to Armin. "What the Hell?! It was in my sights? Why would you save one of these things?!"

Armin shook his head. "No. We could use him Samus! He could be made to distract the Titans outside while we somehow patch the hole in here."

Samus groaned, the physical stress, it seemed, was beginning to wear on her logic. Samus nodded. "Sorry Armin. I wasn't thinking…"

Samus was interrupted when Jean cried out. "Samus! We've managed to refuel our Gear. We're going to start escaping into the Inner Wall!"

Suddenly, Jean noticed the Rogue Titan that was killing other Titans. Reiner, Annie, and Bertolt took notice as well. Reiner spoke up first. "How much more crazy shit am I going to have to witness today?!"

The four of them stood there, watching the combination of Samus and the Titan killing an entire hoard of Titans with ease. After a few minutes of waiting, Armin, Connie, and Mikasa came back up from refueling. Connie, having made the mistake of looking under the sheet covering Hannah, left without a word.

Mikasa and Armin both joined the others in spectating. Armin, once Samus had taken a respite, called her to the rooftop.

Samus landed, looking back at the Rogue Titan. It was steadily becoming more and more damaged. She shook her head. Armin sighed. "Looks like the Titan is done for…we should…just go."

Samus bluntly responded. "No. I'm going to stay. I'll try to keep it alive. You rally some people to come and try to patch that hole."

Armin nodded and readied to leave, but then, his expression shifted to one of absolute hatred. Samus looked in the direction he was looking in and noticed it too: that was the Titan that had eaten Thomas Wagner, slowly lumbering up to them.

Samus cocked her cannon. "There's a worthy kill if I ever saw one."

But, to everyone's surprise, the Rogue Titan suddenly roared out loud. Despite the damage it had already suffered, the beast plowed through the herd of Titans in front of it, losing its arms in the process, and snapped its teeth around the throat of the Thomas killer. And then, in a shocking show of intelligence, it whipped around, plowing all of the other Titans down before falling to its knee and finishing the Thomas killer, rending its entire head off.

And then, the Rogue Titan began to steam. Armin's face sank. "It's dead. Damn it."

Samus, incredulous, activated her Scan Visor. Meanwhile, Reiner consoled Armin. "It's okay Armin. I'm sure they'll find another way to seal the hole, right Annie."

Annie remained cool and detached as she turned to leave. "Unless the Armored Titan shows up…"

Jean gasped. "Why the Hell would you say that?!"

But, suddenly, as they all prepared to make their way into the Inner Wall, Samus stopped them. "Wait. Something isn't right…something is alive in there…"

The other come back and, to their shock, the Rogue Titan's nape had split open. And a person was emerging from within it. As the steam cleared, everyone was shocked. Samus, confused, asked who that person was.

Armin, in tears, uttered one word. "Eren."

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	7. Chapter 7: Trial by Cannon

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 **Chapter 7: Trial by Cannon**

Eren's eyes fluttered open. He had been having such a good dream, killing Titans along with the Survey Corp. He laughed to himself as he slowly awoke. "Kill them. I'll kill them all."

"Eren?!"

Eren was fully awake now. He jolted up and came face-to-terrified-face with Armin. "Armin!"

Eren's attention turned from his friend to his sister. Mikasa was standing there, her swords drawn, coldly staring down some yet to be seen enemy. "Mikasa!"

The warrior turned and glanced back at her brother, shooting him a warm smile. "Eren…"

Suddenly, their tender moment was interrupted by a terrified scream. "EREN YEAGER!"

Eren's focus turned towards the voice. And then he noticed, to his confusion, that he, Armin, and Mikasa were currently surrounded by a small army of the Garrison, all with their rifles drawn. Eren looked up and was only further confused by the near endless row of cannons aiming at him from above.

Eren stood, walking past Armin and towards the Garrison captain. "Sir! I don't under-"

The Captain yelled out. "DON'T YOU MOVE!"

Eren froze in place, the Captain was staring at him as if he were the Colossal Titan itself. Meanwhile, his two assistants, a short, blonde woman with glasses, and a tall, brown-haired guy, were glaring at Eren with utter contempt.

The Captain clenched his teeth, shaking in his boots. Eren attempted another step forward, but the Captain aimed his rifle right at his chest. "EREN YEAGER! YOU STAND ACCUSED OF BEING AN ENEMY OF HUMANITY, AN ALLY OF THE TITANS! YOU WILL EXPLAIN YOURSELF AT ONCE OR YOU SHALL BE EXECUTED ON THE SPOT!"

Eren was taken aback. An ally of the Titans?! He quickly turned to Armin. "Armin?! What is he talking about?!"

Armin was shocked. "You…you don't remember?"

The Captain, clearly becoming angry, screamed at Eren. "DO NOT PLEAD IGNORANCE! YOU WERE FOUND WITHIN THE NAPE OF A TITAN'S NECK! YOU WILL EXPLAIN THIS OCCURRENCE AT ONCE OR YOU, AND YOUR COMPATRIOTS, WILL BE KILLED WHERE YOU STAND!"

Eren turned back to Armin. "The nape of a Titan? Armin?! WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT?!"

Armin had no idea what to say. He was trepidacious, but slowly began to explain.

 _Armin, Mikasa, and Samus had all gathered around the Rogue Titan's slowly evaporated corpse. Samus and Mikasa both hooked one of their arms underneath Eren's shoulders and snatched him from the remainder of the Titan's corpse. Samus stood there, questioning how, exactly, Eren had found his way into controlling one of these things. Mikasa just sat there, smiling at Eren's unconscious features. However, Armin stood in shocked relief._

 _Armin looked down at Eren's right arm. "His arm…"_

 _Armin, then, looked down at Eren's left leg. "His leg…"_

 _Armin remembered the last time he had seen Eren, his left leg gone and his right arm snapped off by the monster's teeth. "His arm and his leg are back…"_

 _Meanwhile, on the nearby rooftop, Jean, Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie all stood in stunned silence. Jean was the only one able to squeak out any sort of response to what was developing before his eyes. "What the Hell is going on today?"_

 _Jean's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden arrival of a squad of Garrison soldiers, all of whom saw Samus and Mikasa cutting the last bits of Titan away from Eren._

 _The moment Mikasa and Armin brought Samus to the rooftop, the soldier's attempted to take Eren into custody, trying to bully away Mikasa and Armin. However, both of them stood firm, refusing to back down from the defense of their friend. So, the soldiers took all three of them into custody._

 _Upon arriving within the Inner Wall, the Garrison Captain in charge, Kitz Woerman, issued a strict gag order on Jean, Reiner, Annie, and Bertolt, threatening them all with immediate execution should they breathe a single word of this to anyone._

 _He then approached Armin and Mikasa, angrily giving them one last chance to leave with their lives, Mikasa responded by grabbing Eren from the soldiers, along with Armin, and backing into a niche in the Wall, drawing her swords and angrily demanding that everyone stay back._

 _The Captain was furious, angrily demanding to know where his two Lieutenants, Ian Dietrich and Rico Brzenska, were._

 _Outside the Inner Wall, atop the rooftop that Eren Yeager had been arrested from, Brzenska and Dietrich watched as Samus blasted away two Titans, deftly landing in front of them and falling to her knee. Her second wind had petered, and she had no clue whether a third gust was coming._

 _Respectfully, Brzenska and Dietrich helped Samus to her feet. Brzenska was the first to speak. "Impressive. I had no idea a person as physically capable as you could exist. You might actually be stronger than that monster in the Survey Corp."_

 _Samus nodded, silently attempting to catch her breath. Dietrich was slightly warmer when he spoke. "I agree with her. You're really strong. Perhaps, you'd like to retreat into the Inner Wall? You could get a rest and then meet with the Survey Corp. when they get back…"_

 _Samus shook her head. "No. There could still be stragglers trying to get away. Can't abandon them to die…"_

 _Brzenska, to her credit, couldn't help but smile at that. "I suppose I can respect that. All the more power to you!"_

 _Dietrich nodded. "Just…try not to die. Humanity could use you."_

 _And then, with one final salute, the two Garrison soldiers retreated back into the Inner Wall._

Samus jumped down from a nearby chimney. Shooting like a missile towards the advancing Titan and blasting its nape, scooping up the terrified toddler it was chasing and jumping back to the rooftops. The girl tearfully began to thank Samus, hugging the Bounty Hunter's leg. Samus sighed, signaling for the Garrison to come down and collect her latest group of refugees.

Samus waived goodbye to them all, all of them shouting their appreciation of her as they left. And then, once they were all out of sight, Samus climbed to the top of a clock tower, out of reach from the Titans, and collapsed.

Needing room to breathe, Samus pulled off her helmet, and a sea of silver hair spilled out. Samus wheezed for air, her chest on fire as she stared up at the increasingly reddening dusk sky. She held up her helmet in front of her face and took a glance at her reflection in her visor. And, unfortunately, nothing had changed.

Samus was distressed to see herself again. She was never one to be vain, vanity was for cowards. But, she did feel an extreme level of discomfort as to how far she had fallen. Her hair wasn't the only problem she saw, everyone got gray hair eventually, but the rest of her features weren't much better. Her once hopeful eyes had sunken in, taking all of their former spark with them, her face had irreparably creased, not quite wrinkling, but taking away any former semblance of youth. But the worst sign of all, the most terrible feeling of her best days being behind her, was how creaky she felt.

She knew that no audible sound was made, but Samus could mentally hear the sounded of an old, squeaky, screen door whenever she made even the slightest of effort. She groaned as she turned onto her side, attempting to alleviate pressure on her sore left hip.

From this new position, Samus finally had a chance to observe and think. That Eren boy, he had emerged from a Titan. And, looking down at the Titans meandering about below, began to note that these creatures themselves almost seemed human, in a way. Maybe, just maybe, these thing had somehow evolved from humans. But…what could cause such a drastic change?

Samus activated her suits system, hearing the computerized voice chime through her head. " **POWER LEVEL: 50%. ARMOR DEFENSE QUALITY: WANING. SUPER MISSILE SUPPLY: LOW. OCCUPANT RESOLVE: LOW. POWER SUIT WILL REQUIRE A RECHARGE BREAK SOON.** "

Samus nodded in agreement. "I could use a recharge break too. I…think that if someone doesn't show up in the next 10 minutes…it'll be time to retreat."

Samus stood, stretching her back and grimacing at the horrific sound of popping and cracking. "Damn…"

Suddenly, as Samus was donning her helmet, lightning struck behind her. She turned just in time to see the final crackles of the bolt dissipating away behind the Inner Wall. Grimly, Samus recalled the last bolt of lightning she had seen in this world, and the skinless horror is had brought with it.

Without skipping a beat, Samus sprinted towards the Inner Wall, entering the Morph Ball and building up speed before zipping up the side of it. She already had the Super Missile at the ready for the beast, ready to save the humans on the other side from the so-called Colossal Titan.

Within the Inner Wall, Eren stares upwards, amazed at what he's done. In order to save himself and his friends from death by cannonballing, Eren had instinctually bit his hand. Unconsciously activating his Titan transformation powers, just like he had within the stomach of the Titan that had eaten him and formed the torso of the Rogue Titan, using it to shield all three of them.

Mikasa and Armin watched as Eren reached down, grabbing the key he had always worn around his neck, "Our basement…"

Mikasa flinched. "What?!"

Eren said it again. "Our basement! The answers about the Titans. They're in our basement…"

Armin was shocked. "What on Earth would make you think that?! Why is this suddenly coming up?"

Eren smiled. "Dad. I remember him, after Wall Maria fell. He found me after we got here and gave me this key. He…he told me that the answers to everything was in the basement!"

Mikasa was instantly on board with Eren. "Okay then! Let's go."

Eren and Armin both looked confused. Mikasa continued. "Let's leave. They don't want you here, and they're just going to kill Armin and I for siding with you, so let's leave and go home! Back to Shinganshina!"

Meanwhile, on a nearby rooftop, the 104th Trainee's Squad stared on. Reiner Braun, Bertolt Hoover, Annie Leonhart, Jean Kirstein, Marco Bott, Connie Springer, Sasha Braus, Krista Lenz, Ymir, and Mina Carolina all stood there, most of them in slack-jawed awe. None had a word to say as the burning remains of Eren's Titan form smoldered away in the distance.

Captian Woerman was blue in the face and the eyes of the Rogue Titan had locked directly on him. He hyperventilated and shivered in place, terrified at what he had just seen. Suddenly, Rico Brzenska snapped him back into reality. "Sir. This is going too far. This boy…he's dangerous. It would only be logical to put him down now. I'd recommend ordering a another mass shelling."

Ian Dietrich, despite his trepidation in executing Eren, who spoke of nothing but loyalty to humanity, agreed. They knew nothing of Eren, so they could not risk him killing them all. "I agree with Brzenska. Our reaction to this should be a swift execution, for the good of humanity."

Meanwhile, back in the Shinganshina Trio's huddle, Armin spoke up as the voice of reason. "Guys! We can't just leave! Eren doesn't know anything about these powers. The Titans would kill us before we even got close! Our best bet would be to convince the Garrison that Eren and his powers would be a benefit."

Mikasa disagreed. "Armin. They've already made their decision. They'll kill us! We need to leave!"

But, Armin ignored her. Running out toward the Garrison. Woerman screamed at him. "STAY WHERE YOU ARE! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO APPROACH US! THE TITAN'S HAVE PULLED OUT TRICKS THAT WE HAVE NEVER CONSIDERED BEFORE IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS! WHAT PROOF DO WE HAVE THAT YOU ARE NOT MERELY TITANS DISGUISED AS HUMANS, READY TO KILL US ALL!"

Armin stopped in his tracks, almost able to taste the thick cloud of fear in the air. "It's hopeless. He's letting fear get in the wall of logic. He's too frightened to think it through…"

Armin turned back to Eren and Mikasa, completely defeated and willing to go along with their plan. But, in his shock, they both nodded confidently at him. All it took was his word, and his two longest friends were ready and willing to abandon their best judgement and have faith in him.

His fire renewed, Armin turned back to the Garrison, smashing his fist into his chest in a proud salute and screaming out his convictions. "I AM A SOLDIER AND I HAVE DEDICATED MY HEART TO THE RESTORATION OF HUMANITY, SIR! NOTHING COULD POSSIBLY MAKE ME PROUDER THAN DYING FOR SUCH A NOBLE CAUSE AS OURS! AND IT IS MY BELIEF THAT, SHOULD WE USE EREN'S TITAN ABILITIES AND COMBINE IT WITH THE MANPOWER WE HAVE LEFT AND HAVE RECENTLY ATTAINED WE CAN, AND WILL DO IT! WE CAN RETAKE THIS CITY! FOR HUMANITY'S GLORY AND WHAT LITTLE TIME, I HAVE LEFT, _**I WILL ADVOCATE HIS STRATEGIC VALUE!**_ "

Everyone stood in awe of Armin. From his 104th Trainee peers in the distance, to the very Garrison officers who had previously questioned him, they were all silently impressed at the tiny cadets resolve.

Ian Dietrich swallowed the lump in his throat and spoke to Captain Woerman. "Sir. He makes a good point…maybe we should-"

Woerman roared at his subordinate. "QUIET! Do not let their looks fool you! They're all clearly traitors!"

Woerman was having a breakdown. He ran his fingers messily through his hair as he glared down at Armin, Eren, and Mikasa. "I…I swore an oath as an Officer. An oath that I would crush all insubordination!"

Woerman threw his hand up into the air, dropping it like and axe and screaming a one-word order. "FIRE!"

The Garrison soldiers atop the Wall instantly complied. Mounting the firing mechanisms of the cannons and pulling the trigger. The 104th Trainees could only stare in horror as the cannons exploded and shot towards their three friends.

Armin screamed, Eren braced himself, and Mikasa stood up, vainly attempting to counter the explosive shells that were coming their way. The cannonballs, each a bringer of their death in its own right, sailed towards the three helpless teens.

Suddenly, the shells were blasted from the air by a bolt of light. The Garrison were speechless as an armor-clad warrior fell from the sky, landing next to Armin and catching the last cannonball, right as it was about to collide with him.

Samus lifted the cannonball into the air, her glare trained on Woerman. She squeezed the shell hard, crushing it in half. Gunpowder sifted from her hand as she approached Woerman. "You know what I've always hated? Haughty cowards within the military. It's bastards like you, illogical, cowardly bastards that make an otherwise competent military absolutely worthless in a fight!"

Woerman was enraged, he opened his mouth, ready to scream a response at Samus, only to be interrupted. "I completely agree."

Woerman turned, staring in horror as an older gentleman approached him from behind. The old man, accompanied by two high ranking soldiers, talked down to Woerman. "You should learn to steady your temperament Captain Woerman. You're supposed to be a strong branch holding up our soldiers to face these abominations, but your no better than a brittle twig on a rotting limb."

The old man left Woerman to stew in his scolding, turning towards Samus, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa. "Hello. My name is Dot Pixis. I am the Commander of the Garrison. I would like to hear more of this strategic value of which you speak."

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	8. Chapter 8: The Reclamation of Trost

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 **Chapter 8 – The Reclamation of Trost**

Dot Pixis, Commander of the Garrison, walked across the top of Wall Rose, staring down at the Titans gathered below, all of whom regarded him as their next meal. Pixis giggled, taking a sip from his flask. "You know…I wouldn't mind being eaten by one of these things if it had the appearance of a beautiful woman…"

Pixis' assistant, Anka Rheinberger, frustratedly growled. "Sir! I would appreciate if you wouldn't say such foolish things!"

The old man laughed as his attendant. "Oh please Anka! Lighten up. Would you like a drink?"

Anka shook her head. "No sir! And you shouldn't be either. We have serious matters to attend to, this is no time for drunken antics."

Samus, none to impressed with the drunken old bastard in front of her, nodded in agreement. The aging bounty hunter could tell, he was strategically gifted, but he would rather fool around than work.

Pixis sighed and stood before the four people he had just taken away from the firing squad. "Young man, I believe your name is Armin? Would you kindly explain your plan to use Mr. Yeager's Titan powers? How, exactly, will he be able to retake Trost?"

Armin, still shaken from his near death, cleared his throat and pointed towards the breach in the Wall. "Near the breach in the Wall, a piece of rubble from the gate being kicked in has landed on a nearby street. My plan would be to take Eren to that boulder, have him transform into the Rouge Titan, lift the boulder, and use it to plug the hole."

Pixis nodded. "A valid plan. But, young man, how shall we deal with the immediate problem, the ever present amount of Titans flooding in through the breach?"

Armin turned and pointed directly at Samus and Mikasa. "That, sir, is where they come in. Mikasa and Samus are, no offense to either of you, killing machines…"

Samus and Mikasa both silently nodded in agreement.

Armin continued. "…so, I figured that the two of them could lead the charge to the boulder, Eren could heft it to the hole, and then we could plug it. After that…I suppose that the more experienced soldier could clear Trost of any remaining Titans."

Pixis nodded. "More experienced soldiers indeed. We have already sent a messenger to retrieve the Survey Corps. They should already be on their way back. If this plan of yours works, then they'll be able to clear Trost by as early as tomorrow."

Armin's eyes widened. "Wait, sir, do you mean…?"

Pixis nodded. "Yes, we will enact your plan at once. But…with a few tweaks. Now, before we begin our rush, headlong towards death, may I offer the four of you a drink?"

Pixis smiled and offered his flask to them. Mikasa silently shook her head, leaving to retrieve more ODM Blades. Armin, watching her leave, turned to Pixis and politely declined. "Sorry sir. I…don't drink."

Samus shook her head. "A warrior never drinks until the battle is done…but, I might take you up on that offer later."

Finally, it was just Eren and Pixis. Eren, thrilled that he was finally able to help Humanity in a meaningful way, graciously accepted. "Thank you, sir!"

Eren accepted the flask and took a huge swig. But, midway through the drink, Eren's face gnarled up. His mouth was on fire. Pixis walked away, a catty smile on his face, a Eren quickly ejected the liquid from his mouth.

Soon enough, they were off. Mikasa and Samus lead the charge, turning back to see Eren and Armin in the center of their unit. On either side and behind them, the three Garrison officers: Ian Dietrich, Rico Brzenska, and Mitabi Jarnach. Mikasa glares at Brzenska as she stares daggers at Eren. Eren, noticing he's being glared at, turns to his superior. "Excuse me, ma'am. Is something the matter?"

Brzenska closed her eyes, letting loose a shaky breath from her nose. "I don't see the logic behind this operation. We've lost enough lives here today. Too many of our fellows have fallen to tragic, pointless deaths. And now, even more are risking their lives for what could best be described as a faulty tyke bomb…"

Eren was confused. "What does that mean?"

Brzenska glared at Eren. "You're a Titan. Your kind eat us. And now we're putting all of our faith in you! I can't be the only one who thinks that this operation is doomed to fail!"

Mikasa's eyes betrayed no sympathy. Rather, nothing but pure anger. How dare this woman, who was advocating their execution not an hour ago, question them. Mikasa was about to give a scathing retort but was interrupted by Samus. "You just sound upset."

Brzenska's eyes widened. Everyone fell quiet as Samus spoke. "Trust me, I know how you feel. Your compatriots are dead and you want this to stop. You've given up. I've been at that point, but you can't let it defeat you! You need to be strong and, if we work together, we can do this."

Brzenska relented, closing her eyes in thought. "Correct. I do hate this for that reason, and I absolutely don't want to see anymore die. But…I know it's necessary."

She turned her attention to Eren. "Humanity needs this victory. We need one win, just one solitary win over these monsters. And, as little as I believe in you or this plan, I'm willing to give it a shot. But you, Eren Yeager, need to keep something in your mind…"

Eren, his attention fully garnered, answered without a bit of hesitation. "Yes ma'am?"

Rico Brzenska, her steely gaze cutting beams through Eren, didn't waver. "You need to keep in mind everyone who's putting their lives on the line for this plan. All of your fellow cadets, who are distracting the Titans, all of my fellow Garrison, doing the same, and everyone in this group, accompanying and protecting you! I don't like or trust you, but you might be humanities only hope, so never forget those who die for you!"

Eren remained silent, but nodded in affirmation. Samus cocked her cannon, staring down at the few stragglers not gathered on the other side of Trost. "It's time to get to work."

Samus jumped from the Wall, firing a regular shot to get the Titans attention. And then, once they had all gathered near her, Samus fired one of her last two Super Missiles. As pieces of Titans rained from the sky, Samus sighed. "Only one missile left…"

The others landed on the rooftop. Ian Dietrich looked out into the distance, grimacing at the sight of Titans flooding into the breach. But, he breathed a sigh of relief to see most of them join the others in pooling to the opposite side of Trost, attempting to eat the Garrison soldiers distracting them from the top of the Wall.

He turned and nodded to Jarnach and Brzenska. "Let's begin the operation. Eren?"

Eren nodded and stuck his hand in his mouth. And, after one last hopeful look at Armin and Mikasa, Eren bit down on his hand and transformed.

On the other side of the Wall, Jean and Marco zipped back and forth past one another, drawing several Titan's attentions and luring them towards the crowd that had already gathered nearby. Marco is feeling positive, saying that he hopes Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie are having as much luck attracting the Titans their way.

As Jean is about to make a snarky comment, a Titan jumps up at him. Marco slashes out its eyes, pushing Jean out of the way. Jean turns and lands on a nearby rooftop. Marco laughs. "What, no thank you?"

Suddenly, Jean zips by Marco, slashing a Titan across the nape and sending it down on the street to die. Jena turns to Marco, a pessimistic, but friendly smile on his face. "Thanks Marco."

Marco smiles back at Jean and the two head back to attract more Titans. "Humanity is finally going to win Jean! They told us all that we'd never see a victory in our lifetimes, but now, with Samus and Eren standing behind us, we might even be able to put an end to the Titans for good!"

Jean shook his head. He stared up at Marco, who was bursting with optimism. "Dammit Marco. That ideology is gonna get you killed…"

Meanwhile, back at the boulder, Dietrich and Samus both stood, staring on in disappointment. The Rouge Titan, Eren in his Titan form, had fallen limply to the ground, the upper part of its head having been punched off. The wound itself, self-inflicted.

Samus shook her head, sighing in annoyance. Dietrich could barely utter his disbelief. "He didn't even recognize us as fellow humans…he attacked without hesitation. Even his own sister wasn't recognized.

Brzenska glared down at Armin, who had descended to the street below to help Mikasa. She shook her head and began to mumble to herself. "I knew this was destined to fail…"

Brzenska reached into her bag, retrieving the red smoke flare to signify that the operation was a failure. But, as she was about to pull the trigger, Mikasa came forth and stopped her. Jarnach and Dietrich were shocked at the cadet's boldness, Brzenska was angry. "What the Hell do you think you're doing?!"

Mikasa ignored her and turned to Armin. "Armin! This operation isn't a failure yet. Try to reason with Eren, snap him back into reality. I'll defend you!"

Brzenska opened her mouth, ready to give Mikasa a thorough dressing down, but was silenced by the young woman's glare. Mikasa slowly reached up, wiping the blood from her cheek, caused by the wound that Eren's Titan form had inflicted. And then, after wiping her face, Mikasa flew into action, slicing down to approaching Titans in an instant.

Rico Brzenska was flabbergasted. "That foolish girl is going to get us all-"

Suddenly, Ian Dietrich barked an order at Armin. "Listen her, Arlert. Don't you stop until Yeager is right in the head again! Trost is lost if he doesn't get it together. Now, Mitabi, Rico, let's get going! We have to help defend that Titan, he's Humanity's greatest hope!"

Mitabi Jarnach nodded, following Dietrich into battle. Brzenska had no idea how to react, turning towards Samus. "Can you believe this? They're only going to get themselves killed. They're wasting their lives for a false goal."

Samus walked up to Brzenska, picking the shorter woman up by the collar of her shirt. Samus raised her visor, her crystal blue eyes having regained their sheen. "I sympathize with you. No one should have to die for peace and freedom. But, the sad truth of this entire Universe is that the only way to get peace is to fight for it. Now, you can do what you wish. Stand here and decry everybody's resolve as useless nonsense. But, be aware, anyone who dies in this final stand against these monsters, there blood will be just as much on your hands as on the Titans'"

Samus dropped Brzenska flat on her ass, "But, you are right in not wanting to rely on Eren. As much as I respect his wanting to help out. This new form of his is to unstable to be relied on."

Brzenska nodded. "That's my point! But, without that Titan's strength, how are we supposed to move that boulder?!"

Samus stretched her arms, cracking her fingers and popping both shoulder blades. "There's always another way…"

Brzenska watched as Samus jumped down, blasting away several offending Titans and running up to the boulder. Rico watched as Samus pressed her entire body up against an at least two-ton boulder and began to push. The Garrison woman shook her head, thinking that Samus had lost it. But, Brzenska's eyes bulged from her head as, suddenly, the boulder lurched forward.

Rico then took a moment to observe her surroundings. Ian and Mitabi and the Mikasa girl were giving the Titans the fights of their lives. That boy, Armin, was frantically screaming at his friend to wake up and help. And that mysterious warrior, Samus Aran, was actually managed to push that heavy burden of a boulder forward. Rico shuddered, but steeled herself. She yelled out. "Armin Arlert!"

Armin paused and looked up at her. "I don't apologize for advocating your execution. I felt I was acting in Humanity's best interest at the time…but, now I see that I was wrong. Please, for the sake of everyone who fell today, wake him up!"

Armin nodded at her. In return, Brzenska slammed her fist over her heart and departed, slashing down a Titan and blasting towards three more.

Armin stood on the Rogue Titan's back, screaming at Eren, deep within the nape of the monster. "Eren! You have to wake up! Please! Everyone needs you!"

The Rogue Titan remained inert. Armin tried again, pounding his fist on the Titan's nape. "EREN! ANSWER ME! YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP! THIS COULD BE HUMANITY'S FIRST EVER VICTORY! YOU'D NEVER FORGIVE YOURSELF FOR MISSING IT!"

 _Meanwhile, locked deep in his mind, Eren remained sealed in his thoughts. He smiled as he, his father, his mother, and Mikasa all sat down for dinner. Everything was perfect. Everything was happy. He would never want to be anywhere else. But, in the back on his mind, Eren could've sworn that he heard a voice._

Armin couldn't believe it. Eren was sitting here, within the body of a Titan, tightly sealed into a coma. Armin watched as several Garrison, all of whom had arrived as back-up, were slowly being slaughtered. Despair was getting to the young man; he knew that they couldn't succeed without Eren. Even with all of her might, Samus had only managed to push the boulder about a foot, with nearly a full mile left to cover. Calmly, Armin raised his sword into the air. "Eren…we can't win this without you. I can't do this without you! We still have our dreams to follow. We need to see what's outside of these Walls together. You, me, and Mikasa! We NEED you. So please. Please…GET OFF YOUR ASS!"

 _Eren stood from the dinner table. He knew that he had heard something that time. He frantically looked around his house for the source of the voice. Meanwhile, his family had no reaction whatsoever. Suddenly, right before Eren's eyes, Armin appeared. Eren was stunned as Armin yelled at him. "EREN! WAKE UP!"_

Armin remained crouched on the Rogue Titan's back, screaming into its nape. "EREN! WAKE UP!"

Suddenly, to Armin's surprise, the Rogue Titan stood, it's head rapidly healing as it walked forward. Samus, who was pushing the boulder with all of her might, suddenly fell flat on her face as the Rouge Titan, like Atlas hoisting the Earth above his shoulders, lifted the nearly two-ton boulder into the sky, and tromped forward with it, towards the breach.

Armin landed next to Samus, helping her to her feet. "Samus. I've woken him up!"

Samus squeezed Armin's shoulder. "Good work, but let's celebrate later. This isn't over yet!"

With a nod, she and Armin both went rocketing forward, Armin distracting the Titans and Samus blasting them with charge shots. All the while, surrounded by the screaming deaths of Garrison soldiers, dying for the cause, the Rogue Titan remained silently focused.

Mitabi Jarnach and his squad gained the attention of a hoard of Titans, drawing them away from Eren. Armin stopped, giving the poor, scared Garrison soldier one final look before his was stepped on. Samus, on the other hand, can only watch in horror as, mere feet away from her, Ian Dietrich was halfway in a Titan's mouth. Dietrich yanked his man out, ordering him to run before looking back up at Samus. The brave soldier nodded, and gave Samus one last hearty salute, before the Titan's jaws clamped down, snapping of Ian's head, decapitating him.

Samus sadly shook her head. Steeling herself and continuing the push towards the breach. Along the way, she and Armin were joined by Mikasa and Brzenska. Mikasa savagely ripped into three Titans whilst Brzenska shouted orders for the lesser Garrison to flee back to the Inner Wall.

Finally, they arrived at the breach. Samus and Mikasa cleared away all of the Titans near the hole while Brzenska and Armin led Eren to it. All four of them cheered Eren on and, with a mighty roar, the Rogue Titan hefted the boulder forward, wedging the piece of rubble into the hole in the Wall, blocking out the Titans who vainly attempted to make their way in.

And then the Rogue Titan collapsed once more. The creature's nape opened, Eren flopping out from it and down into the waiting Mikasa's arms. And then, as two Titans snuck up on Mikasa from behind, Brzenska and Samus took them out, Rico slash the eyes and Samus blasting the napes.

Samus landed, walking up to Mikasa and Armin and smiling at Eren's unconscious form. "The little guy did pretty well."

Armin smiled at her. "Yeah. We…we did it."

The smile fell from Armin's face as he observed their surroundings. From every nook and cranny, Titans flooded out. Mikasa and Samus stood strong, the two of them gathered Armin, Eren, and Brzenska behind them and prepared to fight of the Titans, only for four of the five of them to suddenly fall over, dead.

Standing behind the Titan were four soldiers, all clad in dark green capes. Three young men and a young woman. The last Titan turned to face them, but was quickly cut down by what appeared to be a flying buzz saw. However, once the buzz saw landed, it revealed that it was also a soldier. A short man with short black hair and angry eyes.

Rico Brzenska looked at him, her jaw nearly dropping to the floor. "Levi…"

And then, Brzenska's eyes turned to the now plugged Wall, which had the entire Survey Corp cascading over it. For a moment, Brzenska was silent. Her voice unable to make a sound. But then, the tears began to fall. Rico Brzenska clamped her hand over her mouth, muffling her sobs as she stared at the repaired Wall and the almighty saving force of the Survey Corp. "Everyone…Mitabi, Ian…you didn't die in vain…"

Samus looked down as Brzenska, who finally let loose. "YOU DIDN'T DIE IN VAIN! WE FINALLY, FINALLY WON! WE WON!"

Samus, meanwhile, was extremely dour in the face of victory. As Brzenska cried out in victory, the bounty hunter walked across the square, finally arriving at Ian Dietrich's remains. The poor man's eyes were stuck wide open in death, the knowledge of what was about to happen to him remaining frozen in his eyes. Samus reached down and closed his eyes for good, and then silently saluted him for his bravery.

At the end of the day, many lives were lost in the Breach of the Trost District. Many brave soldiers, some having never seen field work before, lost their lives in repelling the threat of the Titans. However, thanks to the efforts of a Human with the power of the Titans, as well as a mysterious new ally, Humanity prevailed for the first time. At the end of the day, the Battle of Trost was the first recorded Human Victory against the Titans.

Jean Kirstein did not want to be where he was. The Survey Corp had taken Eren and Samus, as well as Mikasa and Armin, away. No one had heard anything of them since. Meanwhile, he and the rest of the 104th were tasked with helping to clean up the corpses of their allies who weren't lucky enough to have survived.

Jean looked around at his friends. Connie and Sasha were too shocked to say anything as they dug various terrified bodies from crystalized piles of Titan vomit. On the other hand, Annie, one of the strongest of them all, was breaking down and apologizing to every corpse she came across. Jean sighed, at least she had Bertolt and Reiner to support her.

Jean had just helped finish scraping up another corpse, informing the doctor on hand that he didn't know that victim. But, as the doctor moved on, Jean's eye fell on something that filled him with dread. He helplessly walked up to the nearby corpse, bitten in half and leaning against building. He looked into its dead eyes, fell to his knees at its gnarly grimace, and the tears began to flow at the sight of the corpses freckles. Jean whimpered out as the doctor ran up to him. "Do you know this one soldier?"

Jean didn't even realize she was there, only managing to utter one sad word. "Marco…"

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	9. Chapter 9: The Trial Part 1

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 **Chapter 9: The Trial; Part 1**

Eren groans as he wakes up. His eyes flutter open and he looks around, noticing that he's surrounded by stone blocks on every side. Confused, Eren sat up and noticed, to his horror, that steel bars lined the opening in front of him. He stared out at the two men sitting before him, a tall blonde haired man and his short, black-haired associate.

Eren attempted to lift his hands, wanting to bury his face in them, only to find, to his horror, that he was tightly shackled down. Still not able to comprehend his situation, Eren finally cried out. "What the Hell is going on?!"

The blond man remained dour, not shifted an inch from his seated position, his arms tightly folded. "My name is Erwin Smith. I am the Leader of the Survey Corps."

Eren was taken aback. The Leader of the Survey Corp, sitting right in front of him. As much as he wanted to ask to be allowed to join up with the Scouts, Eren still needed answers to the matter at hand. "That's incredible sir. And it's very nice to meet you…but what's going on? Why am I locked up?"

Levi stepped forward. "You have the ability to become a Titan. No one is sure whether you're dangerous or not. But, those questions will be answered at your trial."

Erwin nodded, standing up. "Yes. But, worry not. We will be giving it our best efforts to get the tribunal to see the benefits the two of you could be towards Humanity. Hopefully, with a little effort, the Survey Corps. might get two powerful weapons."

Eren gulped. "But…what if you can't convince them?"

Levi was blunt. "If we can't convince the tribunal to give us custody of you, the Military Police will get you. And then you'll probably die…"

Erwin and Levi turned to leave. But, Erwin turned to Eren one last time. "I do hope we will be able to work something out, I feel that we might actually be able to make a difference with the two of you at our side."

Suddenly, Eren was surprised. "Wait! What do you mean the two of us?!"

As Levi and Erwin wordlessly left, Eren began to scan his surroundings, eventually noticing that there was another person in the cell across from him. He squinted through the darkness and, to his surprise, Samus was lying down on the cot within. Eren called out to her. "Hey. HEY! SAMUS! SAMUS!"

No response.

Eren continued calling out to her, trying to get her attention to ask her what had occurred whilst he was out, but Samus remained unresponsive, laying in the bed, in her armor, unmoving.

Meanwhile, at a tavern in the Stohess District, the 104th Trainees Squad had all gathered together. It had been three days since the breach in Trost, since Eren and Samus had been taken into custody, since…Marco had died.

The Garrison had compensated them for helping with the Trost cleanup. But, rather than be allowed to go home, they had all been restricted to the Stohess District. Finally, after so much deposition and constant questioning, the confused young men and women had finally gotten a break.

Sasha finished off the last bit of her potato soup and sighed, for the first time in three days, her appetite was back. She glanced over at all of the other, each of whom was eating at a much slower rate. Putting on her most shit-eating grin, Potato Girl leaned onto Reiner. "Hey Reiner? Can I have what's left of your soup?"

Reiner shook his head. "Hell no. Go buy your own Potato Girl."

Grumbling at his refusal, Sasha leaned over to Bertolt. "Hey Bertolt-"

Bertolt shook his head. "No."

Sasha sighed and tried again. "Ann-"

Annie responded by picking up her knife and pointing it directly at Sasha. Flinching back, the poor farm girl tried one more time. "Mikasa?"

Mikasa shot a glare over at Sasha, picking up her bowl and turning to Potato Girl, only to very quickly drink down the last bit of her food.

A frown spread across Sasha's face. The other people she could understand, but Mikasa had gone out of her way to save Sasha's life in Trost. If anything, Sasha had figured the Mikasa had at least liked her enough to share. But, as usual, it appeared as if Sasha was wrong.

Dejected, Potato Girl stood, carrying her bowl back up to the counter to give to the busy barmaid. However, as she turned to head back to the table, Sasha ran directly into Mikasa. Nervous, she quickly attempted to apologize to her much more skilled classmate. However, very quickly, Sasha was shut up by the feeling of a spoon entering her mouth. Sasha smiled at the taste of potato in her mouth, greedily chewing and swallowing the much appreciated morsel.

Mikasa quickly shoved past her, giving the barmaid her bowl and turning back to Sasha. Sasha smiled. "And here I was beginning to think you didn't like me…"

Mikasa, out of sight from the others, let a small smile crack on her face. "I appreciate you. Everyone else is still upset over what's happened, just like you are, and yet you're trying to lighten the mood…"

Sasha smiled, nervously scratching the back of her head. "Well…someone has to, right?"

Mikasa sighed and grabbed Sasha into a quick hug, just as quickly letting her go. "Never change, Potato Girl."

As Mikasa walked past her, Sasha grimaced. "Could you guys please stop calling me Potato Girl?! I only stole ONE potato in boot camp!"

Ymir leaned back in her chair, her eyes closed. "You were only CAUGHT stealing one potato in boot camp."

Krista glared up at Ymir. "Don't be mean."

One of Ymir's eyes popped open. "I'm not being mean. I'm being honest."

Whilst the two girlfriends bickered over how honest was too honest, Connie stared mournfully at Jean. After the Trost cleanup, he wasn't the same, having been the one to find Marco's body. Connie turned to Mina and whispered to her. "Do you think he's going to be okay?"

Mina frowned, rubbing the bandages wrapped around her injured back. "I don't know. We've lost so many people Connie: Thomas, Nac, Myelius, Franz, Hannah, Marco…I don't think any of us are really going to be okay…"

Reiner, who had been listening to them, disagreed. "These things happen. But, our friends wouldn't want us to be hung up on their deaths for too long. After today, we need to start moving on…"

The entire table fell silent. Nobody had a word to say to that. But, Reiner, the big supportive guy he was, grabbed Armin around the shoulders and raised his glass. "But, that's tomorrow! For tonight, let's raise our glasses in honor of our fallen friends! To Thomas and Nac and Myelius and Franz and Hannah and TO MARCO!"

The others of the 104th all grabbed their glasses, raising them high into the air. "TO MARCO!"

As the cadets all gulped down their drinks, and as Krista cheerfully began to order another round for the table, the Military Police entered the bar. "We're here for Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert!"

In response, Mikasa stood up. "Are you here to tell me where Eren is?!"

Armin very quickly stood up as well. "Calm down Mikasa…"

Mikasa glared as the Military Police approached her table. "You're hereby being summoned to testify as the upcoming trial of Eren Yeager. Given the testimony given to us be several witnessing Garrison officers, we've deemed it prudent to arrest you both and bring you in."

The MP turned to his fellows. "Arrest them."

As the two MP approached Armin and Mikasa, shackles drawn, Reiner stood up. In defense of his friends, the 6-foot cadet bowed up to the MP, sending them both flinching back.

Bertolt grabbed his best friend by the arm. "Reiner…"

Reiner glared down at him. "They're our friends. I'm not just going to set here and let them be taken. How can you all just sit there?!"

Sasha nodded, slamming her hand down onto the table and standing up as well, pushing Mikasa behind her. Bertolt sighed and nervously stood up as well, as did Krista and, reluctantly, Ymir. Connie looked at his remaining seated friends: Jean still depressed and Mina still injured. Then, he turned to Annie. "Annie. Don't stand up. Stay here and watch Jean and Mina, okay?"

Annie nodded as Connie stood up. Reiner sneered at the MP, we're not just going to sit around whilst you all harass our friends.

The MP glared back and smirked. "Fine."

And then, with the blow of a whistle, Military Police flooded the tavern, slamming all of the resisting 104th Cadets down and brusquely shackling them, leading them all out in chains, much to the horror of Mina and Annie. Jean remained dour, not even managing to look up as his friends were led from the tavern and thrown into the Military Police transport.

Eren was becoming desperate. No one had explained a thing to him and he needed someone to talk to. So, he continued to try getting Samus' attention. But, the Bounty Hunter remained inert in her cell. Eren tried standing up, only to be halted by the chains holding him to the bed. "DAMMIT! WOULD YOU TALK TO ME?! PLEASE?!"

Eren was answered by a sudden fright. A wide-eyed woman, her expression dead serious, slammed up against the bars to Eren's cell, her face almost jutting through the small spaces in-between. "I'll talk to you!"

Eren practically jumped out of his skin at this sudden intrusion. He stood there, staring at his visitor as she stared back. Soon enough, she was joined by another visitor, a taller man with light brown hair and a wispy mustache. "Hanji, what are you doing?"

Hanji, despite maintaining her serious demeanor up to this point, broke into an embarrassed smile. "I'm…stuck. Mind helping me out Mike?"

Mike sighed, grabbing onto Hanji's shoulder and pulling with all of his might, exhuming Hanji from the bars and slamming her into Samus' cell.

Samus sat up with a bolt. "WHA-…what the Hell was that?"

Hanji smiled. "Sorry about that. I fell over…How are you today?"

Samus slumped over on her prison cot. "Tired."

Hanji smiled. "Oh, well that's under-"

Samus fell back, and once again began to nod off.

The dungeon fell awkwardly silent for a solid minute before Eren spoke. "She was asleep this whole time?"

Hanji turned to Eren and grinned. "Apparently. But, you both have earned the right to be tired. You did save Trost from the Titans after all."

The woman sighed. "Well, guess I should introduce us. I'm Hanji Zoe. I'm a Squad Leader in the Survey Corps. And this is Mike Zacharius, he's the same. We're here to take you to your trial."

Eren smiled. "You're going to take me out of here?!"

Hanji nodded. "Yup. But…first, I'm going to need you to put on these!"

Eren grimaced as Hanji smiled and held up a set of shackles. After shackling Eren and giving him to Mike to be led out, Hanji turned and smiled at Samus. "I don't know whether you're asleep or not, kind of hard to tell with that helmet and all, but, as much as I want Eren to be able to join the Survey Corps, I want you to join too. And, thank you for being such a big help in Trost. I promise, we're doing everything we can to convince them to let us take you guys."

As Hanji walked off, Samus nearly silently groaned. She reached her hand up, deactivating her visor and wiping her nose. Samus shook her head as she stared at her now blood soaked fingers. Samus reactivated her visor and closed her eyes, silently cursing to herself. "Dammit. I'm falling apart…"

Hanji and Mike led the shackled Eren down the corridor to the courtroom. Eren remained silent, utterly confused. He had helped save the Trost district, and now he was on trial for his life. Eren's dour attitude, however, was interrupted by Mike Zacharius suddenly sniffing him.

Eren flinched back, suitably creeped out, but Hanji gave him an assuring pat on the shoulder. "Don't be nervous. It's all alright. That's just the way he introduces himself to people."

Eren shivered. "That's…very strange."

Hanji giggled and slugged Mike in the arm. He turned his head, as if offended, but smiled. Hanji grinned at Eren. "Sorry bud. Some of us, Mike, aren't exactly right in the head!"

Eren flinched again as Hanji picked him up into a gigantic hug. "But, that doesn't matter! Everything is going to be fine and you'll be one of us in no time!"

Hanji put Eren back down and she and Mike reached out, grabbing the handles to the courtroom door. Eren sighed, ready to go in and meet his fate.

Back in the dungeon, Samus laid there, half-asleep, thinking about everything she had seen since she had woken up. The Titans and all of the deaths they caused and the fear of the people they terrorized. In her old age, Samus had seen nearly everything, and had given nearly everything in herself towards the cause of the greater good. That's why she was laying here now, aching so very badly.

But, the physical pain was nothing compared to the pain of the thoughts bouncing around in her head. As she and the unconscious Eren were being led back to the Inner Wall, they were brought through the fueling station that the 104th had taken back. And on the way through there, Samus saw something that had shaken her to her core: Hannah Diamant's body. That girl, that poor girl that she had tried to save, Samus saw her body being carted off by the Garrison, rifle still tightly gripped in her hand. Samus, despite keeping her emotions in check, was absolutely devastated at the sight of it. While her method of getting Hannah to come with them, blowing up her lover's corpse, wasn't the gentlest of prodding, Samus didn't want to see her die. But, in the end, there was no doubt in the bounty hunter's mind, she had contributed to that girl's suicide.

Samus shook her head, rolling over on her prison cot and clamping her eyes shut. "What's wrong with me?! Why can't I ever save people when it really counts?!"

And, with that depressing thought, Samus drifted into another restless sleep.

 _Samus woke up, groaning as she tried to reach up to her face, only to be stopped by the manacles strapped around her wrists. She touched her fingers to one of them, but instantly felt weaker as a result. The ex-Federation bounty hunter looked around, taking in her surroundings. A dark room was all she could make out, a dark room separated from her by a thick, electric blue force field. Samus looked down at her feet, noticing that the exact same manacles were strapped around her ankles. She attempted to stand, but fell back into her cold steel seat._

 _Suddenly, a distinctly female voice sounded out from the darkness. "Heh heh. Are you enjoying yourself, Samus Aran? How are the Metroid shackles you're wearing? Are they too tight for you?"_

 _Samus growled under her breath. "Metroid shackles?"_

 _The voice quickly responded to her. "Yes. Metroid shackles. We've developed them by having our scientists research several Metroid's we've managed to capture. Those restraints will be sapping your strength for the rest of your stay with us. Welcome to our level Ms. Aran."_

 _Samus shook her head, staring daggers into the darkness. "Who are you?! And why am I here?!"_

 _The voice mocked back at her. "Why are you here? Did the warrant officer not tell you?"_

 _Samus moved her jaw back in forth, exercising out the pain. "No. He was too busy sucker punching me with the butt of his rifle…"_

 _Now the voice really was mocking her. "Oh! Poor baby…"_

 _And then, another, more familiar voice broke their conversation. "That's enough Jansen. You aren't being paid to mock her."_

 _Samus' eyes widened at the smooth voice sounding out. She stared into the darkness, trying to make out the shapes of anyone talking. "Higgs?!"_

 _Suddenly, to the detriment of Samus' eyes, all of the rooms lights snapped on, revealing that Samus was currently surrounded by several people. At least five Federation Marines stood around her prison cell, gaping at her like some sort of animal. But, in front of her was a face she recognized._

 _Anthony Higgs smiled at Samus, his once young face now creased with wrinkles. "Hey Princess, it's been a while."_

 _Samus' frown instantly turned into a smile once she saw her longtime friend. "HIGGS! It's so good to-"_

 _Samus tried to stand, to walk up to Higgs, but was quickly pulled back down into her seat. Despairing, Samus cried out to him. "Higgs?! What's going on here? Why am I locked up like this?!"_

 _The woman next to Higgs, a taller woman with bright red lips and jet black hair sneered at Samus. "Like you don't know why you're here…"_

 _Samus scowled at the woman. "Who are you?!"_

 _The woman smiled, motioning to the badge hanging from her chest. "Federation High Prosecutor Tara Jansen, at your service. And, to answer that stupid question you just posed, you're here because you broke the law."_

 _Samus glared at her. "And the law that I broke is?"_

 _Jansen was smug. "Direct Disobedience of an order from the High Council."_

 _Samus frowned, averting her gaze from Jansen and string down at the floor. She didn't want to admit it, but she did remember the crime of which Jansen spoke. How she destroyed all research data aboard the BSL research station, not wanting the Federation to get their hands on it._

 _As Jansen was about to continue with her accusations, Higgs interrupted her. "Enough Jansen. Save it for the trial."_

 _Jansen glared at Higgs, but he ignored her, shooting Samus a warm smile. "List Princess. Everything will be fine, you know that right?"_

 _Samus smiled. "You know I hate it when you call me that…"_

 _Higgs chuckled. "Yeah, I know. So, to make up for it, I promise you that once this is all over, we'll go drinking together. You and me. The moment we're done clearing up this misunderstanding. Hell, even if the Federation wants to punish you for this, I'll bet we can convince them to let you do some community service…"_

 _Higgs cocked his gun. "If you know what I mean."_

 _Samus smiled forlornly as one of her longest-lasting friends left. And then, after the Marines were shooed out, she was alone with Jansen. The High Prosecutor glared scornfully at Samus, doing a full lap around the bounty hunters cell before coming to a full stop. "I hate your kind. I want you to know that. You Bounty Hunters, unsanctioned and using methods not authorized by the Federation. Being valued more than our own well-trained soldiers. I knew, I just knew, that one day one of you would turn on us…and I was right."_

 _Samus scowled. "You call it betrayal, but do you know what happened on BSL?"_

 _Jansen shook her head. "Completely irrelevant. You were given a direct order, you chose to defy it, and now, now, I'm going to use that. You, Ms. Aran, will be the impetus towards a law of my own design, a law that bans your kind once and for all. And you, you'll face the rest of you Chozo-extended life rotting in the worst prison I can have you thrown in!"_

 _Jansen turned, a catty grin on her face. Samus attempted a rebuttal, but was quickly interrupted by Jansen. "Not to say I'm unaware of your skills. On the contrary, I'm well aware. And I plan on taking the appropriate measures to prevent any sort of sudden escape."_

 _Samus tilted her head, confused as to what Jansen meant, but was very quickly shocked at the answer. Jansen snapped her fingers and left the room. And then, she was very quickly replaced by something straight from Samus' nightmares: two Ridley's. One had a five seared onto its chest, the other had a seven. And then, these two monsters did something Samus never would have thought of: they stood there, silently and unflinching._

 _Samus Aran, a former hero to the Federation, now sat in their strongest cell, being guarded by two clones of what was once it's worst enemy._

Suddenly, Samus was awoken by the sound of something slamming into the bars of her cell. She shakily sat up and saw that same woman form before, Hanji, slammed into the bars. Soon enough, her compatriot, Mike, came up behind her. "You had better not be stuck again…"

Hanji giggled. "I'm not. I stopped short this time. So, Samus, did you enjoy your nap?"

Samus stretched and stood. "I don't recall giving any of you my name…"

Hanji grinned. "Well, as you can imagine, your name came up a lot during Eren's trial."

Samus cracked her neck. "So, how did his trial go?"

Hanji winked and gave Samus a thumbs up. "He's good. We have an agreement going with the Generalissimo over what will happen with him! Now, it's your turn."

Hanji reached behind her and pulled a pair of shackles out. "Hands…uh…hand and cannon behind your back please!"

Samus shook her head. "No. That will not be happening. Not today."

Mike Zacharius turned his nose up at her. "No isn't an option. You don't leave this cell without the proper restraints. Sorry, but from our point-of-view, you're just as scary as the Titan Boy is."

Samus walked forward to the cell door. "I suppose you're right…"

Samus grabbed the cell door, yanking it from its hinges and throwing it onto her cot. "…I am pretty scary to some."

And, with that, Samus pushed past Mike and Hanji, walking to the dungeon exit with a confident stride in her step. Mike was speechless, but Hanji could only laugh. "We MUST get her on our side! I LIKE HER!"

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	10. Chapter 10: The Trial Part 2

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 **Chapter 10: The Trial; Part 2**

Murmurs of anticipation spread throughout the courtroom as the various spectators to the day's proceedings talked amongst themselves. After the last trial, in which Levi, Humanity's Top Soldier, deemed it necessary to prove that Eren wasn't invincible, through application of several well-placed boots to the face, everyone was curious as to how the next trial would go down.

Meanwhile, the 104th Trainees Squad all occupied the same bench, each with their hands shackled behind their backs. During Eren's trial, each was forced to testify as to everything that they knew about their friend, as well as Samus. None really had a good explanation for what had happened that day, they could only really confirm two things: Eren and Samus were great assets to Humanity and Samus was practically a Titan with a gun for an arm.

The Survey Corps officer behind the stand, Erwin Smith, Levi, and Tia Nanaba, were all feeling good about what they had accomplished so far. They all stared back, cool as cucumbers, as the MP Commander, Nile Dok, stared daggers at them. Nanaba even felt confident enough to sarcastically wave at the flustered MP. As long as nothing went wrong from this point, the Survey Corps was in the clear. They had convinced Generalissimo Zackley that they were able to properly handle the situation, that they had everything under control.

And then the door to the courtroom flew open.

Everyone turned and stared, some in terror, others in awe, as Samus Aran, the warrior that had nearly been defied to them by the testimony of the previous trial, stomped into the courtroom, completely uninhibited.

Nile Dok, in a move of pure terror, drew his rifle and pointed it directly at Samus, ordering her to stop at once. He was ignored as Samus made her way over the restrained 104th Cadets. After whispering something into Reiner's ear, and then slapping him for his somewhat sexist response, Samus turned to the Generalissimo, sitting and watching up in his seat. "Is this how you treat the children who nearly died defending your city?!"

The Zackley, clearly surprised at her acidic tone, looked away from Samus, deep in thought.

Whilst Samus stood there, waiting for an answer, Mike Zacharius walked in, an irritated look on his face. He proceeded to leap over the stand and sit down in the seat next to Nanaba. Nanaba shot him a confused look. "Didn't we send you to escort a _PRISONER_ to the courtroom?"

Zacharius sighed and leaned back. "Yell at Hanji. I didn't have a say in the matter…"

Levi raised an eyebrow. "Really…?"

Then, Hanji strolled into the room, whistling a jaunty tune and twirling the unused pair of shackles on her finger. Dok turned to her, an angry vain pulsing on his forehead. "Why the Hell isn't this dangerous presence restrained?!"

Hanji cattily smiled at Dok. "She said no."

And then, after throwing the unused restraints at Dok, Hanji took her seat next to Levi behind the stand.

Meanwhile, Samus still impatiently, staring at Generalissimo Zackley and waiting for his response. "Did you not hear me, or are you too stupid to come up with a proper answer?"

A collective gasp erupted across the courtroom, even the Survey Corps officers were taken aback. Nile Dok, boiling with rage, screamed at Samus. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?!"

Samus quickly turned to Dok. "Don't know. Don't _care_. His rank doesn't matter here. You're currently holding prisoner a group of children who, whilst you cowered here, presumably waiting for your _balls to drop_ , risked their lives, some even _losing_ their lives, to keep these Walls safe from those _monsters_! Now, I demand that you released them from those restraints at once and treat them with some GODDAMNED RESPECT!"

Nile Dok stood there, his jaw practically hitting the table in front of him. Meanwhile, the 104th and the Survey Corps were a much different kind of speechless. Silently, even Levi was nodding in agreement with her.

Zackley was the first to break the incredible silence. "I agree."

Samus turned to the Generalissimo and he nodded. "Looking at the level of service they displayed during the Battle of Trost, these children are deserving of more respect than they're being treated with. Commander Dok, order your officers to remove their shackles at once."

Dok, totally shocked, reluctantly relented and sent his men to fulfill the Generalissimo's orders. The 104th all breathed a sigh of relief as they massaged their wrists.

Almost immediately, Zackley switched gears and went back to speaking with Samus. "Allow me to introduce myself formally to you, Warrior, my name is Darius Zackley. I am the Commander-in-Chief, the Generalissimo, of all sections of this military."

Samus, now much calmer, respectfully saluted the man. "Sir. My name is Samus Aran. I am a Bounty Hunter employed by the Galactic Federation. Pleased to meet you."

Zackley smiled. "Bounty Hunter aye? Strange choice of words…your demeanor more fits a jaded, yet experienced soldier."

Samus shrugged. "I suppose, in some ways, you're right. But…"

Zackley was curious. "But?"

Samus shook her head. "But nothing."

Nodding and pushing no further into that matter, Zackley moved onto a different subject. "May I ask where you hail from? You don't look like anybody currently residing within our Walls. And you appear to armed with much more advanced weaponry."

Samus nodded. "You're right, I'm not from here. I'm from up there."

Everyone in the room looked up to where Samus was pointing, only seeing a ceiling. Zackely cleared his throat. "You must forgive me. I misunderstand your meaning…"

Samus' shoulders slumped. "Oh, forgive me, I'm not being clear enough. I'm not from this Planet. I come from space."

The room fell silent, remaining that way until Sasha dared to speak up. "Um, Samus? What the Hell is 'space'?"

Samus was shocked. "Oh my God. I didn't think that there were any planets left that didn't…"

Hanji, her curiosity peaked, posed the next question. "What's a planet?!"

Samus was speechless. Barely able to utter a sound. After a few moments, she cleared her throat and began. "O-okay…um…best way to explain this…You know what stars are, right?"

Hanji nodded. "Yeah, they're the lights that twinkle in the sky during the night. We use them to make maps and stuff."

Samus shook her head. "Good. Good. Well…I'm from there."

Hanji cocked her head. "From where?"

Samus sighed. "The stars. I'm from the stars. I come from a different planet. A giant living biosphere much like this one, from the stars."

No one had a word to say. Another awkward silence spread across the room. Finally, Eren spoke up. "You mean there are other places like this, with Titans?"

Samus shook her head. "No. I've never seen Titans anywhere else."

Finally, Erwin spoke, shock and surprise in his voice. "There are other worlds without Titans on them?"

Samus nodded. "Yeah. And a lot of them are uninhabited too. Hell, if I could contact the Federation, I could probably schedule an evacuation for this place. We get all of you out of here and blow this entire shithole to kingdom come. No offense."

Once again, silence, this time not so dead. Everyone in the room stared at Samus, a hopeful glimmer twinkling in their eyes. Mike Zacharius spoke up. "So…if you can do that…what's stopping you from doing it?"

Samus sighed. "My communicator is busted. And I don't have the tools to fix it. Those would be on my ship, but I have no idea where it is…"

Nanaba cried out. "W-we can get you whatever tools you need! We have hammers and nails and saws and-"

Samus interrupted her. "Thank you, but that isn't what I mean. I need some rather advanced tools and, no offense, this might be one of the most underdeveloped, inhabited planets that I've ever landed on…"

Suddenly, as Samus continued to speak, she heard the distinct sound of a rifle being cocked. She turned and noticed Nile Dok, trembling in his boots, aiming at her face. "This is MADNESS! You're insane!"

Zackley banged his gavel. "Commander Dok! Steady yourself at once! Lower your weapon!"

Dok screamed at the Generalissimo. "I refuse! Am I the only one who sees how crazy this is. This creature, this THING, with its metal skin and its death cannon. It's telling us that our view on things is so limited! But, how do we know it's not some variety of Titan trick?! Her and that Titan boy…the could be in league with the Colossal and the Armored. HELL, for all we know, EVERYONE MEMBER OF THIS 104th TRAINING SQUAD COULD BE SOME SORT OF TITAN!"

Instantly, a wave of fearful chatter washed over the room. People discussing the verity of Nile Dok's fears. Erwin groaned as people talked, this favor had shifted from his argument. They were starting to see Eren and Samus as a threat.

But, as people discussed the matters at hand, a little girl managed to sneak her way past the MP's, by the time anyone noticed her, she had already made her way to Samus.

Samus looked down at the girl. She stared up at Samus, fear and wonder glistening in her eyes. "I'm sorry to bother you while you're trying to talk…but I wanted to say thank you for saving me and my Mommy…"

Samus, realizing that this was the girl whom she saved when first arriving in Trost, smiled behind her helmet. She bent down to the girl's level and reached out to her. "Oh sweetie, I-"

Samus stopped as the girl flinched back. The little one trembled as she held out her doll. "I just w-wanted to give you this f-for saving us…"

Samus lowered her head in shame. "Sweetie. There's no need to be scared. I won't hurt you…"

Samus reached out to the girl, but she flinched again. Looking around, the aging bounty hunter realized the problem. Seeing the look of trepidation on everyone's faces, and noticing how scared the little girl was of her, Samus sighed. And then, she reached up to her helmet and pulled it off.

To the surprise of everyone in room, once Samus removed her helm, her armor glowed and disappeared. Once the burst of light faded, the people were shocked to see what Samus was hiding beneath her armor.

She was a tall woman, fierce-eyed with a powerful, muscular build. And, atop her head, a flowing crown of long, silver locks. Her face was set into an almost emotionless state, only to be betrayed by the caring smile spread across her lips. The beauty mark underneath her lower lip perfectly punctuated the welcoming energy she was giving off.

Samus held her blue-gloved hand out to the little girl again, the light through the windows bouncing off her Zero Suit and giving her a heavenly glow. "Thank you for the doll. But, I think that you should hold on to it. Seeing you alive and well is all the payment I need."

Now smiling, the little girl ran up to Samus, giving her a huge hug. "Thank you for saving me!"

Samus, despite the discomfort of being touched, returned the girl's hug, only to be snapped back into the situation by the re-cocking of a rifle. "Get away from her!"

The little girl looked up at Nile Dok, now pointing his rifle at both Samus and her. He was shaking. "You think that removing that armor did you any sort of favors?! If anything, it makes you just as suspicious as that Titan brat! How can someone how appear to be as human as you be that strong?! Clearly you're an enemy in hiding; only a Titan could have that strength!"

The little girl stepped up in Samus' defense. "But she saved all of us! Me, my Mommy, the soldier's how couldn't fight the Titans! She's a hero!"

Nile glared down at the girl. "Shut your mouth! You think that means anything?! She could just be trying to garner sympathy! Now back away before I have you arrested for treason!"

The little girl, frozen in fear, didn't move. Nile growled and leveled his rifle at her. "I SAID MOVE!"

Erwin yelled out at the paranoid MP. "Nile! Calm down, there is no reason to-"

Nile screamed at Erwin. "You shut your mouth! You and your group of psychopaths have no right to be telling those of us who are civilized! Now, move GIRL!"

Once again, the little girl was to terrified to budge. Nile screamed at her. "I said move RIGHT-"

But, the Commander was interrupted by a sudden lashing. In one quick motion, the rifle he was brandishing was snapped from his hands, broken in half, by what appeared to be an electric whip. His fearful glare turned back to Samus, now brandishing her Paralyzer and staring daggers at him. "People like you are what's wrong with any good military, you know that?"

Nile back away from Samus, who was slowly stalking up to him. "Wh-what do you mean?!"

Samus, in one quick movement, seized Nile by his shirt collar and hoisted him in the air. "Rampant paranoia is even worse that cowardice when it comes to holding any sort of command. All I've done is work to save lives since I woke up on this planet, and you're treating me like some kind of serial killer."

Niles choked out his words, trying to break Samus' iron grip. "How do we know you aren't?! How do we even know any of these people you 'saved' weren't put in danger by you initially?!"

Suddenly, from the back of the crowd, Rico Brzenska spoke up. "Because that is totally asinine!"

Everyone turned their attention to the Garrison officer as she strode to the front of the crowd. "While I had, and still have, my doubts about Eren Yeager and his powers…I can attest that she worked her ass off to save every life she could. Whilst we were having our witch trial with Eren Yeager, she stayed in Trost and saved dozens of lives that would've otherwise been lost!"

Next, Sasha spoke up. "She…she saved us too. We were out of time, untrained, and nearly out of fuel…but she led us all to safety. We'd be dead without her!"

And then, the little girl's mother came forth. "She pulled my little girl from a Titan's grip. I…I don't care if I'm considered a traitor by the Military Police. I'll defend this woman until the day that I die…"

Samus looked up at Nile Dok's face. Seeing that he still wasn't convinced, Samus did the best thing she could think of, she let him go, setting him down onto the floor. And then, turning away from him, Samus addressed the entire room. "I'm a stranger to you all. I get that. You have no way to validate my claims or to measure my worth, but allow me to share myself with you…"

The entire room fell silent, everyone's attention focusing on the woman in the center of the courtroom. Samus cleared her throat and spoke.

"In my time…I've fought relentless hive-minded predators, vicious Space Pirates led by the beast that has twice-murdered the parents in my life. I've fought cruel despots, radioactive planet-killing mutagen, power stealing demon bugs, a malevolent demigod, an android seeking the end of organic life, infectious parasites that were eating me from the inside out, and even a living amalgamation of my own inner demons. I've fought everything from nigh-invulnerable dragons to plumbers who don't do their jobs. I've seen it all. And I've been judged before. Both by a gallery of my peers and by civilizations that had never met someone like me before. I've been called accused of being a shameless rogue and worshipped as a God in my long, LONG life…"

Nile growled at Samus. "What is the point of all of this?!"

Samus turned a narrowed eye to the MP Commander. "The point? The point is…"

Samus turned on her heel and fired her Paralyzer at the table next to Nile, blasting it into flaming pieces, much to his horror. She holstered her weapon and continued. "…if I wanted to anyone, OR EVERYONE, within these Walls, I'd probably be finishing up right about now. But, I have no desire to hurt the innocent…"

Niles jaw dropped, as did every member of the 104th Training Squad's. "So…I make a deal with you. I was informed on the way here that you made an agreement with the Survey Corps that they get a month to prove Eren's worth. I'll agree to that same condition. If, by the end of the month, I don't prove myself helpful towards Humanity's cause to end the threat of the Titans, I'll leave. I'll leave these Walls for good, find my ship, and you'll never hear from me again."

Nile Dok sat, flat on his ass, completely speechless. Zackley, on the other hand, chuckled. "Quite the speech you've made, Samus Aran. Erwin, what do you think of her?"

Erwin nodded. "I respect the passion she's shown. To me, it's clear that not only is she experienced in fighting terrible creatures, such as the ones that torment our kind, but that she is passionate about defending those who can't defend themselves. These attributes are exactly what I strive to find in the people I recruit to be Scouts. And, I am willing to go along with the same guidelines that have been set for Eren Yeager. If we cannot prove her worth to Humanity within a month, she will be forced to leave these Walls."

Zackley nodded thoughtfully, and then, he picked up his gavel and passed his judgement. "Then it is agreed. The Survey Corps will now retain custody of the Human-Titan Eren Yeager and the Mysterious Bounty Hunter Samus Aran. If, within a month, their worth to Humanity is considered negligible, then custody of Eren Yeager will be remanded to the Military Police and Samus Aran will be banished."

Erwin nodded at the Zackley, as did Nile Dok, reluctantly. And, with that, Zackley banged his gavel. "Very well. Court dismissed."

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	11. Chapter 11: Settling In

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 **Chapter 11 – Settling In**

Erwin Smith left the courtroom, flanked by his closest followers, sans Levi. Mike remained silent and Hanji and Nanaba murmured at one another. The Survey Corps commander himself was deep in thought. Today, his division of the military had gained two new weapons: Eren Yeager, the Rouge Titan, and Samus Aran, the Bounty Hunter from off-world. And now, he had one chance to prove that he could effectively use them for Humanities benefit.

But, suddenly, as Erwin calculated, he was seized by an unknown force. He looked down at the trembling leader of Wall Cult, Pastor Nick. Nick's eye twitched as he yelled at Erwin. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND, YOU HERETIC?!"

Erwin remained cool under pressure. "In what way do you mean?"

Nick cringed at Erwin's questioning tone. "I MEAN HOW DARE YOU OFFER PROTECTION TO THOSE MONSTERS?! THAT BOY IS A TITAN! AND YOU ALLOW HIM TO LIVE WITHIN THESE WALLS DESPITE KNOWING THAT?!"

Erwin sighed. "Eren Yeager is a loyal soldier to Humanity. I feel that, with proper care, his Titan abilities might be useful in the retaking of Wall Maria."

Nick snatched himself away from Erwin, glaring daggers at the Commander. "AND WHAT ABOUT THAT OTHER WOMAN?! THE ONE WHO CLAIMS THAT HER STRENGTH IS GOD-LIKE?! BLASPHEMY!"

Once again, Erwin was calm. "Samus Aran has made is clear that, despite her situation of being stranded here, she is willing to lend her strength to our cause. I am willing to give her a chance to prove her dedication. Because she and Eren Yeager both deserve that chance. No matter what, underneath the armor and the Titan body, they are both loyal and thoughtful human beings. And, they deserve the benefit of the doubt as we all do."

Nick lunged at Erwin, grabbing him by his jacket collar and screaming in his face. "YOU SURVEY CORPS. PEOPLE ARE ALL BLASPHEMOUS PIGS! MAY GOD HIMSELF STRIKE YOU-"

Nick paused at the sound of a sword being drawn. He looked past Erwin, noticing Mike drawing his blade as Hanji and Nanaba stared daggers at him. And then, with his tail between his legs, the Pastor fled from the Scouts.

In response, Erwin adjusted his shirt, re-tightening his bolo tie, and calmly continued his stride, as if the incident never occurred. Hanji and Nanaba quickly followed him. Mike shook his head, stowing his blade. "Religious nut job."

The next day, far away from any of the other cities within the Walls, Levi and his Special Operations Squad rode their horses through the forest. Accompanying he and his troops, the Scouting Divisions two newest recruits: Eren Yeager and Samus Aran. Silently, Levi occasionally glanced over his shoulder at them, taking notes on what he saw. Eren, mounted on his horse, was carrying on civil conversation with the Special Operations Squad. Samus, in her armor, silently kept up with the horses, walking at a distance from them.

Eren posed a question to the Squad. "So, we're going to be living in a castle for the next month?"

Petra Ral, the sole woman of the group, politely nodded. "Yes. It was Captain Levi's idea. No offense, but we'd like to keep you away from any crowded areas, at least until we better understand how your powers work."

Eren smiled back at the girl. "None taken. I…I get it. I'd like to better understand these powers too."

Eld Jinn, the tall, blonde member of the Squad, laughed. "Well, don't worry their bud. I doubt Hanji will leave you alone until she understands every last little thing about you. She's…kinda obsessive…"

Gunther Schultz, an olive-skinned, dark haired fellow shook his head at Eld. "We shouldn't talk about our superiors behind their backs. It's very unprofessional."

Eld cracked a sly grin back at Gunther. "I don't here you calling her sane."

Gunther closed his eyes and sighed. "That…is beside the point."

And, finally, Oluo Bozad spoke up. "Well, it's not like we're any saner. After all, we're choosing to trust two monsters to help us in our fights with the Titans."

Eren flinched back at that insult. Samus glared over her shoulder at Oluo. Petra, noticing that both of their new allies took offense, immediately dug into Oluo. "Hey dumbass! Don't be like that towards our new friends! Eren and Samus might be different from us in quite a few ways, but that doesn't make them bad people…"

Petra looked out the corner of her eye, noticing that Eren and Samus both a small grins spreading across their faces. She put on her own catty smile and shot one last barb at Oluo. "Besides, at least they're secure enough to be themselves. Not like certain people who feel the need to dress like Captain Levi…"

Oluo's face glowed red with embarrassment. "I…I do not dress like the Captain!"

Eld interjected. "Then explain the cravat buddy. There's only one person other than you I've ever seen wearing a cravat. And he's riding in front of us."

Oluo gritted his teeth. "Yeah well-"

And then, Gunther droned in. "And then, of course, there's the hairdo. Although it looks more like you tried and failed to do it by yourself rather than get someone to style it for you…"

Oluo shook his red, his cheeks searing. "Yeah, well I-"

Petra giggled. "And remember the time he tried to do the Captain's move?"

The strawberry-blonde girl laughed and looked at both Eren and Samus. "You see guys, Captain Levi has this special move he does with his ODM Gear where he spins like a buzz saw to kill multiple Titans at once. Well, this one time, Oluo tired it, but he missed and ended up stabbing himself in the-"

Oluo loudly cleared his throat, turning his attention to Samus. "Hey! Where aren't you riding a horse anyway Mrs. "I'm Like a God"? Are you to holy a presence to ride such lowly human animals?!"

Samus smiled at Oluo, the same smile she would give to Higgs when he would call her Princess. "No. I'm certainly not holier than thou, dumbass…"

Oluo sneered at Samus. "Hey, you don't get to call me that, the only reason Petra does is because-"

Samus calmly lifted her hand to Oluo's horse. In response, the mount whinnied and jolted back, bucking Oluo from its back. Oluo went flying, slamming into a tree and biting his tongue. "OW! GODDAMMIT!"

Samus shook her head. "I don't ride horses because horses are naturally afraid of me. You see, I have several…distasteful elements residing in my DNA. Certain aspects of these alterations cause animals to view me less as a human and more as a hostile predator. Therefore, I can't ride such animals."

Oluo stood, massaging his tongue and embarrassedly walking back to his horse as the others, including Levi, watched on. "Man, you're a real freak! You know that?"

Petra once again scolded her compatriot. "Oluo! Learn some decorum dammit! Samus is our ally!"

In response, Samus politely waived Petra off. "It's fine Petra. I've been called much worse…and sometimes, I agree with opinions like those…"

Petra frowned, but nodded. "Well, I don't think that you're a freak. You're too nice to be a freak."

Gunther spoke up again, his tone frank. "What's wrong with you that makes you seem so dangerous to animals?"

Samus was blunt in her response. "Metroids. I have Metroid DNA intertwined with my own."

Eld was curious. "Metroids? The hell are Metroids?"

Samus tapped her chin, looking for an appropriate response. "Metroid's are life-sucking parasites that feed on anything non-Metroid. Think of, like, a jellyfish with teeth…"

Finally, Eren spoke up. "What's a jellyfish?"

Before Samus could explain the concept of a jellyfish, Levi interrupted. "We're here. Gah…look at this place…"

Eren perked up. "Is there a problem, Captain?"

Levi wrinkled his nose at the castle. "This place is fucking filthy. I want it cleaned spotless. Immediately."

Eren cocked his head, confused as Levi dismounted and walked towards the castle. "Cleaning?"

Oluo, his tongue now having stopped throbbing, chuckled at Eren's confusion. "Don't worry kid, you'll get used to the Captain eventually."

As Eren, Oluo, and Petra cleaned and made the beds in their twelfth consecutive room of the castle. Eren sighed. "Jeez, this is hard work."

Petra giggled, pulling down the dust scarf from over her mouth. "Yeah, but once we're done, we won't have to clean ever again. Levi is really obsessive compulsive, so he'll probably be on a cleaning tangent for the rest of our time here."

Oluo nodded, wiping down a window. "Yeah. As long as I've been a part of this squad, we've only ever had to do one big clean per base. The rest of the time Levi handles it."

A silence fell over the room, the only sounded heard was the squeaking of Oluo's rag across the grass. Finally, Petra spoke up. "You know Eren. We have to work together as soldiers. So, we need to be really close-knit. So…I'd really like to be friends with you and Samus."

Eren smiled, pulling the sheets to one of the beds taught. "I'd like to be friends too. But, I'm not all that sure about Samus. She…I don't know. She just seems like…"

Oluo interjected. "She's even more standoffish than Levi is. And, given that Levi lived on the streets for years by himself, that's saying something."

Eren was surprised. "Captain Levi lived on the street?"

Petra nodded. "Yeah. There are even rumors that he was a criminal before joining the Survey Corps. That he doesn't like to make friends, or even talk to people, because he's seen too many die whilst homeless."

Oluo nodded. "Which is why I'm worried about him compared to that Samus woman. It seems like they…might…"

Eren and Petra turned to Oluo, who was now staring out the window as if he had seen a ghost. Eren looked out the window next to Oluo's window and saw that Gunther and Eld were equally confused. Curious, he and Petra joined Oluo in gawking and were surprised at what they saw.

In the room across the castle courtyard, standing directly in front the window, Samus and Levi were cleaning together. Levi was holding a feather duster and Samus was holding Levi, her arms around his waist, his ass in her face. Eren and the Special Operations Squad could only stare on in confusion, Petra with a bit of jealousy spread across her brow, as they all wondered the exact same thing: What the Hell were those two doing?

Samus effortlessly supported Levi's weight in her arms as she talked. "But, yeah, he's gigantic. Normally he's able to completely fill whatever cave I find him in."

Levi, whacking away as cobwebs with his feather duster, nodded. "And you said that he's armed?"

Samus shrugged. "Sort of. He can fire exploding spikes from his stomach. And, he's capable of spitting up whatever it is he's eaten at you…"

Levi grimaced. "Disgusting. He tries to kill you by vomiting on you?"

Samus raised her eyebrows. "Well, never thought of it like that, but yeah, he was vomiting at me for all of those years…"

Levi smacked away the last of the cobwebs. "This 'Kraid' thing sounds like a disgusting mess."

Samus nodded as she put him down. "He was. But, that's not a problem anymore, the last time I saw him, his head was reduced to smoldering mush."

Levi stretched his back before beginning his work on making the beds. "And how did that happen?"

Samus cocked her cannon, firing a small force beam to act a makeshift dust buster. "I have a cannon that can fire rockets capable of turning this castle into dust. What do you think you happened to Kraid?"

Emotionlessly, Levi nodded. "Fascinating. Those rockets should come in handy later. As you might know, we have our own 'Kraid' to deal with."

Samus sighed. "Yeah. I've seen it. Skinless horror."

Later that night, after the cleaning had finished for the day. The Special Operations Squad and Eren were just finishing their dinner. Levi sipped his cup of tea, remaining silent as his Squad and Eren talked amongst themselves. Once Eren finished the last bite of his food, he stood and stretched. "Gah. I'm tired. I think I'm going to head off to bed for the night. Which room is mine Captain?"

Levi gulped down the last of his tea. "Downstairs. You'll be sleepy in this castles dungeon for the remainder of our stay here."

Petra seemed confused. "Why Captain? Eren could stay upstairs with us. We'll watch him."

Levi responded. "It's not about being scared that he's going to flee. I just feel that it would be better to have him downstairs, just in case he was to accidently transform in his sleep. I doubt that any of you want to get crushed, right?"

The Special Operations Squad all looked guilty, but couldn't help but agree. Petra, looking ashamed, shook her head. "No Captain. We'd rather not be crushed to death. But…it still just doesn't seem fair to Eren."

Eren smiled. "It's alright Petra. I'm fine with it. I'd rather not accidently kill you all."

Petra nodded. "But…Samus gets to sleep upstairs…"

At that, Oluo spoke up. "Wait a minute. Where is Samus?"

Sitting on the roof of the castle, Samus stared up at the clear night sky. The aging Bounty Hunter sighed and adjusted her new clothing. She had stripped herself of her Zero-Suit and was wearing nothing more than a plain white t-shirt and her underwear.

Despite her normally cold, emotionless outlook, Samus had to admit that the clear night sky, along with the light breeze, was rather pleasant. The breeze blew past her blowing up her shirt and Samus frowned, the sight of the scars running across her rib cage brought some most unpleasant memories.

As she turned her attention back to the sea of lights twinkling in the sky, Samus sighed and her thoughts began to drift to the past.

 _Sitting in her cell, constantly patrolled by two clones of her worst enemy, Ridley, Samus could only attempt to mentally prepare herself for her upcoming trial. Jansen had made it clear, she was going to do everything in her power to bring Samus down._

 _As she thought about what she was going to say in her own defense, how she was going to talk her way out of this, Samus couldn't help but to focus the most hateful glare she could at the patrolling Ridley's._

 _She had been keeping track of their numbering as the monsters changed shifts, so far, the biggest number she had seen was 22. She shuddered at the thought:_ _ **22**_ _Ridley's! Maybe even more…_

 _Two decades ago, these things would have been dead on sight. Hell, an army of Ridley would've called for every ship in the Federation Fleet to have responded! And now, despite everything this monster had done in his existence, the Federation was using him as little more than a cheap security guard._

 _At least, for Samus' sake, the Ridley clones did provide her with one means of passing the time in her otherwise stark prison. Because, almost as a form of cathartic stress relief, Samus could endlessly mock the false Ridley's, and they wouldn't do anything in response. Was it petty? Probably. But, did it make Samus feel better to endlessly prod and jab at the creature that had murdered her parents? Hell YES!_

 _Samus smirked as Ridley #14 and #21 left and were quickly replaced by Ridley #11 and #13. "Hey there. I've never seen your numbers before…"_

 _The Ridley's remained silent as Samus began her verbal onslaught. "So…I've been polling and I need your opinion. How do you two feel about the current state of Ridley affairs?"_

 _The Ridley's remained silent. Samus smirked. "How does it feel knowing that, despite all of the terror you sowed throughout the galaxy, you've been reduced to nothing more than a disposable soldier?"_

 _The Ridley's still stood silent, although, #13's eyes were a bit wider than normal. Samus, unaware of the change, continued to mock them both. "How does it feel to know that your identity is nothing more than the number burned in your chest. Neither of you are Ridley, you're both numbers!"_

 _#11 still remained as stoic as could be, but #13 tensed up. Samus, however, was on too much of a tangent to notice. Strapped to her chair, she continued blasting away at them. "I remember you once bragging at me that you slept on a pile of corpses at night! Tell me, do they let you take corpses into your kennel at night when they put you to bed?!"_

 _#13 clenched its fangs and angrily splayed its claws, a subtle growl rumbling under its breath. Samus, meanwhile, smile wide, malice towards the Ridley's shining across her lips. "Well, here's a heartwarming thought to help you drones get to bed at night, do you having any semblance of memory or thought in your heads? Do you?"_

 _#13 began to tremble, and then Samus dropped a bomb on him. "Well, if you do remember, then perhaps you'd like to know what happened to the once great Zebesian Space Pirates…"_

 _#13 fell quite. Samus laughed. "This actually made me laugh when I heard, your crew, the entire crew that you and Kraid led in life, is now nothing more than a group of MANUAL LABOR SLAVES for Mother Brain! Unless, of course, she gets hungry… and then…"_

 _#13 snapped. It turned to Samus, letting loose a ghastly roar and jabbing its claws through her cage, sinking them into her side and very nearly gutting her. Samus, terrified at this sudden showing of life, leapt out of her chair and tried to use it a shield, only for her chains to snatch her left arm out of socket._

 _Samus had no idea what to do, she was restrained. She couldn't defend herself against this thing. But, as it rounded around the chair, ready to strike Samus down, Ridley #13 was felled by a field of electricity emanating from the base of its neck._

 _Samus fell faint, her shackles keeping her propped up. The wound caused by the Ridley clone was leaking her blood all over the floor. Before she fell out, Samus saw Higgs rush in. Her longtime friend deactivated her shackles, picking her up into his arms. He barked orders at the Squadron of soldiers that had followed him in. "GET THIS GODDAMN MONSTER OFF MY SHIP AND BACK TO GAMMA AT ONCE! I WANT IT DEACTIVATED AND DESTROYED!"_

 _The soldiers nodded and saluted, wrapping an energy chain around Ridley #13's neck and dragging him away. As they were led from the room and carried down opposite hallways, Samus and #13 shot each other one last glare._

 _Samus felt nothing but hate for the monster. Ridley #13…didn't know what it felt. But, it knew one thing for sure, this was not what anything named Ridley was meant to do. It had become…self-aware._

Samus was suddenly brought back to reality by Petra Ral plopping down next to her. "There you are. We've all been looking for you for nearly an hour."

Soon enough, Samus and Petra were joined by Eren, Oluo, Gunther, and Eld. Oluo, in spite of his smarmy personality, graciously offered Samus a cup of coffee. "It's pretty cold up here, you should have something warm to drink."

And then, silence fell. Samus, surrounded by people she barely knew, sat and stared at the stars with them, in complete silence. Soon, Eld and Gunther began mumbling about plans for the future. Apparently that woman, Hanji Zoe, had something to show them the next morning involving her "pets", Sawney and Bean.

After a few moments of listening in on the two of them, Samus was suddenly questioned by Eren. "Samus…something's been on my mind since the trial. Did I really try to kill you guys in Trost?"

Samus glanced down at Eren, his faced pained at the thought. She sighed. "I won't lie Eren. Yes. When you transformed, the first thing you did was lash out at us. But…you aren't used to your powers yet Eren. So, it's no big deal. Mikasa didn't care, neither did Armin, and neither do I. At least we're all still alive."

Petra smiled. "Yeah, you're all still alive. That's a good mindset to have Samus. Just…focus on the positive. Now then, I have a question…"

Samus nodded. "Yes?"

Petra stared up at the sky. "If you're from the stars…then what are we all currently looking at. What's it like up there?"

Samus sighed, but smiled. "Despite every bad thing that has happened in my life…there are a lot of good things up there. Lots of…beautiful memories. Like, I went to this one beautiful planet once, it was called PNF-404. Me and my friend, Captain Olimar…"

Levi stood at a distance from the others as Samus amazed them with stories of her many interstellar travels. He, himself, stared up at the sky as he listened to Samus' stories. They stayed out there for hours, listening to her talk and grasping at her every word, imagining so many beautiful, Titan-free places.

Elsewhere, the 104th Trainees Squad all stood around one of the many funeral pyres built within the Garrison base. Annie and Mina were all speaking with the others. Mina was surprised. "So, they just released you from jail? Just like that?"

Armin nodded. "After Samus demanded that we all be freed of our shackles, The Survey Corps. Commander made an appeal for our freedom. Two hours after the trial was over, our cells were opened and we were told to leave…"

Reiner shook his head. "That doesn't matter right now. This isn't about us."

The tall cadet stared over at the funeral pyre as it crackled away, the faintest of remains of his former friends nearly burnt into nothing. "At least we're still alive…"

Jena Kirstein knelt next to the pyre, his eyes focused on the burning mound that used to be Marco's body. He had been the one order to go inform Marco's parents of the sad news and, now, watching as whatever was left of him slowly immolated away, Jean couldn't come up with any words for it. His best friend was gone, and no one had any sort of idea what had actually happened to him.

Jean shakily sighed as he stood up, thinking one thought as he walked away. "Goodbye Marco…"

Rejoining his friends, Jean stood there, accepting understanding hugs from Mina and Krista. He couldn't bring himself to return them, just standing there in silence alongside his remaining allies.

Suddenly, the gates to the bases creaked open, and everyone in attendance watched as several members of the Survey Corps, led by their Commander, Erwin Smith, flooded into the base. Erwin, taking the nearby stage, cleared his throat and calmly spoke. "Please, cadets of the 104th Trainees Squad, forgive me for interrupting your mourning. But, circumstances are dire. With the recent Titan attacks, it has become clear that Humanity needs to begin pushing back…therefore, I come to you with a choice for you to make…"

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	12. Chapter 12: New Choices, New Arrivals

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 **Chapter 12: New Choices, New Arrivals**

Erwin silently stood before the emotionally wrecked cadets. He silently observed each one as they amassed before him, waiting for him to pose his choice. They all looked tired. Tired and worn down. He sighed. "For the sake of you and your health, I will refrain from dragging this out. You all appear quite fatigued from the horrors of the past few days. Therefore, my question is simple, would any of you be willing to pledge yourselves to fighting the Titans and join the Survey Corps?"

An audible gasp erupted across the field. The cadets all appeared horrified at the mere thought of it. Several began to break down, a few of them even began to sob. Erwin slowly closed his eyes. "I will be blunt. Your chances of survival within the Survey Corps is not very high. As a matter of fact, if you all were to join, I estimate that half of you would die on your first expedition…"

One of the newer Scouts seemed perturbed at his Commander's words. He whispered to Nanaba. "Don't you think that Commander Erwin is being a bit harsh? What if nobody joins after hearing this?"

Mike Zacharius glared back at the Scout. "Then we wouldn't lose anything. We don't need the meek to join our ranks. This job isn't a walk in the park. You've been with us for a year, you must realize this."

The Scout briefly stood in silence, but quickly shut his mouth. Erwin continued his speech. "Now, let me make it clear. This isn't a forced draft. I have no desire for cowards or suicidal fools. So, if you think, for any reason, that you aren't up for this job, you may leave at your own leisure."

Immediately, a large tangent of the cadets filed away. One by one, the number of young men and women dwindled down. Armin turned and looked at them, not begrudging them, but knowing that there was no way he could join them. However, Armin was horrified when he saw a familiar shock of blonde hair making her way out. "Annie?!"

Annie Leonhart turned to Armin as he ran up to her. Her dour expression remained unflinching at his confused tone. "Annie, where are you going?"

Annie shook her head, her tone remaining dry. "Do I look like a fool Armin. There's absolutely no way I'm joining the Scouts. I already have a guaranteed position in the Military Police."

Armin shook his head. "But, we need you. You're one of the strongest of us and…we have to stick together."

Annie glanced over Armin's shoulder as the rest of her friends remained rooted in place, unmoving. "I'm sorry Armin."

Armin flinched back. Annie looked him dead in the eye. "I suppose you could say that all of you are stronger than me. You're willing to stay here to risk your lives, to support Eren and fight on for all of the friends we lost in Trost, but I'm just…not."

As Annie deprecated herself, Armin's disbelief only grew. This woman, this person who had been by their side all this time, one of their best, was just giving up. Annie looked at Armin, a sad smile spreading across her face. "Tell the others I'm sorry. I wish that I could be by your side…but I'm just a weak-willed nobody. I'm too afraid of what's to come to join you."

Annie sadly eyed her friends one last time, noticing quite a few of them were trembling in place, each terrified at having to face the Titans again. Annie swallowed a lump in her throat. "Tell them that I'm sorry. Tell them all that I'm sorry that…things have turned out like they have…"

Before Armin could question her meaning, Annie turned and fled. Quickly making her way from the field and out of sight. On the verge of tearing up, Armin turned and rejoined his friends still remaining in place.

Of all of the cadets in the 104th Trainees Squad, only 10 remained in front of the Survey Corps veterans. Jean Kirstein, Connie Springer, and Sasha Braus all fell to their knees in tears. They realized that they had just forfeited their lives, but they knew that they couldn't just leave their friends to face this alone. Bertolt, Reiner, and Mina all stood resolute, each ready to fulfill their duty and face their enemy. Krista and Ymir stood together, Krista enveloped in Ymir's arms, where one would go, the other would follow. And, for Armin and Mikasa, it wasn't even a choice. Eren, the person whom they had been with since childhood, was already forcefully conscripted into the Scouts. Their choice had been made for them.

Seeing that the remaining cadets had no plans on leaving, despite their qualms about staying, Erwin finally broke out a smile. Not cheerful by any means, but respectful and understanding of their choice. "I hereby welcome each and every one of you to the Survey Corps. Whilst I cannot guarantee your survival, I can guarantee you my everlasting admiration and respect."

Erwin slammed his fist over his heart in a heart salute, every Scout behind him fallowed suit. "My heart goes out to you brave souls for your dedication to Humanity!"

Shakily, Jean, Connie, and Sasha stood up and, in unison, joined their friends in returning Erwin Smith's salute. It was official, absolutely no turning back, they were now members of the Survey Corps.

Meanwhile, atop Wall Rose, Rico Brzenska held her lantern aloft, watching as her subordinates mixed concrete and spread it over the damage caused by the Colossal Titan during its attack. She glared piteously as her new subordinate, the former Captain Woerman, struggled to heft up a sack on concrete powder. "Woerman! Get your ass in gear! We need to have all of this concrete spread out so that it can have all day to proof. We only have five more hours until sunrise, so get moving!"

Woerman grumbled under his breath, but got to work once his new Captain cut him an angry glare.

Brzenska turned to another approaching subordinate. He saluted and began to speak. "Ma'am. The Reeves Company had delivered the new railing to rebuild the cannon defense system."

Brzenska nodded. "Good, have them brought up, store them in the office building until we're ready to install them."

The soldier nodded. "Yes ma'am."

As he left, Rico glanced over the timetable she had set up. "Everything was on schedule. As long as no further damage was brought to the Wall, all repairs would be completed on schedule."

Unfortunately, almost as if on schedule, Rico heard one of her subordinates cry out. "CAPTAIN! WE HAVE A PROBLEM!"

Letting loose a disgusted sigh, Rico bolted from the office and to the source of the cries for help. Several hundred feet down the Wall, Rico came to her soldier and shuddered. Her worst fears were realized; the Wall was somehow damaged even worse than it had been. "What did you do?!"

The Garrison soldier shook his head. "No Captain! It wasn't me! I swear…"

Rico de-clenched her teeth and let her shoulders sag. "You're right. I suppose there's no way you COULD HAVE caused this…but, I mean, what did?!"

Rico Brzenska and her subordinates all gathered around the strange damaged to the Wall. Not one of them could determine what had caused what they were looking at. It looked as if some sort of _giant bird_ had set down on the Wall, clenching its talons into the concrete before flying off.

Early into the hours of the next morning, Eren Yeager and Samus Aran were both bemused at the fact that they were forced to wake up and join this crazy woman, Hanji Zoe, on her trip to visit her "pets".

Hanji talked a mile a minute as Eren wiped the sleep from his eyes and Samus was trying her damnedest not to fall back asleep. Samus shook her head, wiping a stream of drool from her chin. "Wait…you're keeping two of those monsters as PETS?!"

Hanji put on her cheeriest smile and nodded. "Yep. And they're the best little darlings you'd ever meet!"

Moblit Berner, Hanji's chief lieutenant and lab assistant, sighed. "She's nearly been bitten in half four times…"

Hanji puffed out her cheeks. "Sawney was just trying to hug me…"

Moblit exploded at her, the bags under his eyes becoming more apparent. "PEOPLE DON'T HUG WITH TEETH!"

Hanji yelled back. "Well apparently you've never been hugged correctly before!"

Samus shook her head at the childish argument. "Okay, but WHY?! Does it serve any purpose to corral these things?"

Hanji, immediately shifting moods, smiled at Samus. "Of course! I'm a scientist. I'm studying the Titans in an attempt to figure out their origins and, as a side project, easier ways to kill 'em off! But, that's mostly for Erwin. I just want to better understand the cute little guys!"

Eren sneered at her. "But, why would you do that? These monsters don't need to be understood. They all just need to die."

Hanji sighed, placing a palm on her cheek and staring out the carriage window. "I…used to think the same way."

Eren flinched. Hanji smiled at him. "I used to be like you, Eren. I used to think that everything could be solved with anger and violence. I…nearly got to a point where I was no better than they were…"

Samus' face softened. Despite her crazy demeanor, despite how off she seemed, despite how…terrifyingly unhinged this woman looked on the outside, Hanji Zoe, it seemed, was a genuinely intelligent person. Samus smiled. "So…you decided to start learning rather than killing?"

Hanji nodded. "Yeah. I got to be more inquisitive. Soon, my questioning began to bear fruit and, before I knew it, Erwin was actually _ordering_ me to start learning more. And now…"

Hanji turned and winked at them both. "…I'm in a much better place! And I can't wait for you guys to meet Sawney and Bean. Oh, they're so CUUUUTE!"

Samus and Eren turned to one another and smiled. And Hanji with on squeezing over Sawney and Bean.

"NOOOOOOOOOO! SAWNEY! BEAN! WHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYY?!"

Eren and Samus looked on in horror as Hanji screamed at the corpses of her pet Titans as they rotted away in the sunlight. They grimaced as Zacharius and Nanaba seized Hanji and dragged her away, Nanaba taking care to assure her that her beloved "pets" didn't suffer.

Samus frowned at the sight of genuine tears streaming down the poor scientists face as he allies shielded her eyes from the steadily decomposing Titan bodies. But then, noticing something off, Samus walked up to Bean's corpse, wanting to take a closer look.

But, suddenly, to Eren's surprise, Commander Erwin came up behind him, pulling him close and whispering into his ear. "Tell me, do you know who the true enemy here is?"

Eren, unable to provide an answer, stood in stunned silence as Erwin moved on to the next person.

Meanwhile, Nanaba tenderly hugged the shuddering, tearful Hanji whilst Mike, Levi, and Erwin speculated. Levi growls underneath his breath. "Sabotage. This was sabotage…"

Mike grimaced. "You think so?"

Levi nodded. "Yeah, look at their necks. Both of them were killed by pinpoint slash marks to their napes. This couldn't have been done by anyone other than a soldier."

Erwin, returning from his interrogations, shook his head. "Inconceivable. We have an enemy within our ranks as well. But…why kill these two. What could they possibly have done that would prove to be any sort of threat…?"

Nanaba sighed. "There are people who hate what Hanji does. Perhaps…they decided to finally do something about it?"

Mike sniffed. "I don't think that's the case. I doubt any of the religious nuts who speak out against Hanji would know how to operate ODM Gear. So…what does that leave? What's different between now and before that would make them so desperate?"

Suddenly, behind them, a voice sounded out. "From what I understand…there are only two differences."

The Survey Corps higher-ups all turned and were surprised to find Samus standing behind them. She sighed and whispered to them. "And those differences…I'm sure you're all aware-"

Hanji stood, wiping her nose. "…are you an Eren."

Samus nodded. "Exactly. And, given that I'm a relative unknown, I can only assume that this is somehow connected to him…"

Mike arched his eyebrow. "And what makes you draw that connection?"

Erwin smiled. "I must say, I do like you Samus Aran. We appear to be of the same train of thought."

Erwin turned and grimly smiled at Samus and his most trusted subordinates. "Given the timing of this attack, and the fact that this is the first time one such as has ever been committed. I feel as if there must be a connection between it and our custody of Eren Yeager."

Levi gritted his teeth. "The attacker must be aware that Eren is capable of transforming into the Rogue Titan…"

Nanaba nodded. "And they don't want us learning anymore about the Titans from a combination of studying them and him simultaneously…"

Hanji wiped her now puffy eyes. "And they must be a soldier because, going by the cause of death of…*SOB*"

Mike placed a firm hand on Hanji's shoulder. "Sawney and Bean were killed by ODM Gear. That must mean that the assailant is some form of military…"

Samus nodded. "Agreed. But…I get the feeling that the assailant isn't an experienced soldier…"

Erwin's eyes widened. "And just what makes you say that?"

Samus turned to Sawney and Bean. "Sawney was killed in one clean cut. Meanwhile, Bean has four slash marks across the back of his neck. Perhaps resulting of sloppy aim from an inexperienced ODM Gear user?"

Levi narrowed his eyes. "So…our attacker must be from a recent trainee's squad is what you're implying?"

Samus sighed. "Unfortunately, yes."

Erwin nodded. "Good deductive work, all of you. Now then, here are my orders for each of you. Mike Zacharius and Tia Nanaba, the two of you will perform an ODM Gear inspection of all of the 104th Trainee's Squad cadets. Look for signs of recent use and a shortage of blades."

Zacharius and Nanaba nodded and saluted. "Yes Commander!"

Erwin turned to Levi and Hanji. "Levi, Hanji, and you, Samus, I would like for the three of you to come back to my office with me. I have something to discuss with the three of you."

Samus cocked her head. "Me?"

Erwin nodded. "Yes. I feel like you might be able to help me with something important…"

Samus nodded and followed Erwin out from the Scout Base. Turning back and watching as the Special Operations Squad and Eren talked to one another, she grimaced. Something about the wounds on Bean's neck were unsettling…familiar even…and she didn't like it.

But, she shook her head. It was nothing more than a ridiculous, terrifying thought.

Hours later, in a small, northern village in Wall Rose, Sombart Village, a young woman was walking home. It was late at night and the moon shone high in the sky. The evening air was crisp on her skins as she whistled a jaunty tune.

She hadn't realized, whilst out picking up fresh vegetables to make for dinner, that it had gotten so late. However, she was happy. The night was clear, the stars shone high in the sky, and it was uncharacteristically quiet.

The woman looked up into the sky and smiled. The stars shone yellow like freshly husked corn. Two stars, in particular, shone incredibly bright through the tree tops. They were almost hypnotizing.

The woman stopped whistling once the sight of her street came into view. Hopefully, her family wouldn't be too cross with her over being late. The woman opened her door and cheerfully called out. "Hey everyone, sorry I'm…"

The sight before the woman was horrifying. Her family, her entire family. Her mother, her father, her younger sibling, and her fiancée all laid in a pile of blood and gore on the floor. She ran up to them and cried out. "MOTHER! FATHER! MAGNOLIA! ERIK! NO!"

And then, the woman's mind fell elsewhere. "My baby…TARA?!"

The woman ran through her house, primal fear oozing from her every pore, tears streaming down her face. "TARA! WHERE ARE YOU?! ANSWER ME! TARA?!"

The woman ran upstairs to her and her fiancées room, shuddering at what she saw. The window next to her bed wasn't just broken, it was caved in, rubble and broken glass spread across the floor. But, that wasn't what had caught her attention, the only thing she was able to process was the pool of blood was leaking from underneath her closet door.

The woman carefully inched her way to the door, slowly opening it and instantly regretting it. Within the closet…there wasn't much. All that remained was one tiny, severed leg…and a tiny bit of a recognizable pink dress, one that she had stitched herself not three days ago.

The woman, positively horrified at what she had seen, ran from her home and to her neighbors, bursting through their door to beg for help, only to find a mess exactly like the one that filled her home.

Confused and terrified, she ran from home to home, hoping to find any form of life. And, each time, she was disappointed.

Scared, confused, and totally broken, the woman fell to her knees and screamed to the sky. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?!"

But then, her mania quickly defused. The woman stared into the air and quickly fell into despair. The stars, the two bright yellow stars that were peeking out from the trees slowly approached her. Looking up at the stars, she was slowly able to make out the shape they were attached to.

The woman shivered as they got closer. As the yellow orbs and their host towered over her, she was only able to squeak out one question. "Why?!"

And, to her horror, her question was answered. "Hunger. And fun."

The woman then screamed, she screamed at the top of her lungs, only to be curtly cut off. The bloody throes of this woman's death echoed through Sombart Village, with only the corpses of her loved ones around the hear them. That night, in the span of 30 minutes, the 100 strong population of Sombart Village was reduced to nothing. Their cries of pain and agony only to be drowned out by the joyous shrieking of their attacker.

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	13. Chapter 13: Old Lady

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 **Chapter 13: Old Lady**

Eren yawned and stretched as he slowly made his way down the stairs. His body slumping and his eyelids barely managing to stay open, Eren slowly shuffled down to the basement dungeon. Taking care not to fall and activate his Titan form.

The reason for the poor cadets currently haggard condition was mostly due to his own kindness. Finding Hanji in her office, still crying over the loss of her pets, Eren took pity on the woman and chose to try to make her feel better. His brand of therapy? Listening to her talk about the Titans. Unfortunately for Eren, Hanji was so thrilled at the prospect of someone wanting to listen to her rambling, that she had spent all night going on and on about them, depriving Eren of any restful sleep.

And, to add insult to injury, everything fact that she spat out was something Eren already knew. Hanji did apologize for that, but immediately threatened Eren by telling him that they would discuss the advanced stuff this evening.

Only further slating the wound, Levi was standing next to Eren's sleeping cell once he had arrived. Lazily saluting the Captain, Eren tried to pile into the small, cramped cell, only to be stopped by Levi. "Where do you think you're going?"

Eren barely managed to slur out his words. "I'm going to try to get some sleep…"

Levi shook his head. "Sleep is for nighttime. Right now, you have work to do. Report behind the castle at once for the beginning of your special training. But first, for the love of fucking God, put on a clean shirt."

Arriving outside, in the cleanest shirt he could find, Eren was met with a genuine surprise. Not only were the Special Operations Squad standing there, but so were all of his friends from the 104th Trainees Squad were their too.

Mikasa smiled as Eren approached, delighted to finally see him again. Armin was positively beaming, as were the others. Even Jean, despite his and Eren's problems with on another, had to admit that he was happy to see him alive and well.

Eren, now suddenly awake and cheery, smiled at his friends. "What are you all doing here?! I figured you'd still be doing basic Scout training."

Reiner, grinning from ear to ear, shook his head. "Nah. Commander Erwin exempted us from all that crap. He said that he had something better for us all to be training for…which I'm super glad to see apparently has something to do with you!"

Eren smiled and fist-bumped Reiner, only to suddenly frown. "What? Did Annie and Marco not want to join? Where are they?"

An awkward silence fell across the 104th, none of them knowing what to say. Petra swallowed a sudden lump in her throat. Eld shook his head. "Oh dear. I've seen that reaction before…"

Bertolt sighed. "Annie decided not to join us. She went to join the Military Police instead…but Marco…"

Bertolt and Reiner both looked away from Eren, neither knowing what to say. Fortunately for them, Krista was there. "Marco is dead Eren…"

Suddenly, from behind the cadets, a voice rang out. "Marco is dead?!"

The Scouts all turned to see Samus, dressed in her Zero Suit, a Survey Corps jacket draped over her shoulders. "How?! W-when?!"

Ymir shrugged. "No one knows. He died at some point between the counterattack and the cleanup after the breach was sealed."

Samus growled to herself, fruitlessly kicking the dirt at her feet. "Goddammit…"

Eren shook his head, but, soon enough, his gaze fell on Levi. "Captain. Why are we all gathered here? Are you going to be training all of us?"

Levi, his scowl actually having gotten worse after hearing what had happened to Marco Bott, shook his head. "No. I'm not. At least, not right away. I'm just here to observe."

As the other soldiers, including his own Special Operations Squad, all furrowed their brows in confusion, Levi sat down on a chair he had brought with him. He sat underneath the shade of a nearby tree, sipping tea.

Bertolt confusedly posed a question to Levi. "But, Captain, if you won't be training us, then who will?"

Samus spoke up. "That would be me, Bertolt."

The others turned to her and Samus stood confidently. "Commander Erwin called me to his office yesterday afternoon and tasked me with making the lot of you more efficient. He believes that, seeing as we've all gotten to know one another somewhat, I might be able to help you all improve in your various skills."

Everyone was silent for a moment. And then, to Samus' ire, Ymir began to chuckle. Soon enough, Oluo and Reiner joined in. And, eventually, all three of them, to their comrades' horror, were laughing out loud. Samus allowed them a moment to enjoy themselves, but then she interrupted their cutting up. "May I ask you what's so funny?"

Ymir snorted and wiped a tear from her eye. "Well, no offense, but you're so FUCKING OLD! I mean, what's a creaky bag of bones like you going to teach us? How to knit? How rock in a chair? How to MENOPAUSE?!"

Samus, clearly offended, took a step forward. "Is that so? Well…pardon me, but I don't believe that we've been properly introduced…"

Samus glared at Oluo and Reiner, both of them trying to hide the fact that they were laughing. In response, Samus simultaneously kicked Reiner in the stomach, flooring him, and punched Oluo in the mouth, making him bite his tongue. As both men fell to the ground, Samus got right in Ymir's face. "You see, I've met "jackass" and "dumbass" back there, but I don't recall ever meeting you, _smartass_ …"

Ymir furrowed her brow as Samus. "Ymir Alexandria. Nice to meet you. Need help across the street, or should I just start carrying you before you break your hip?"

Samus was taken aback, but Ymir continued. "I don't get the point behind this, you thinking that you can teach us anything…unless you have more of that armor of yours to go around, I think we have more to teach you than you do us."

Samus scowled and then, not breaking eye contact from Ymir, barked a question. "Does everyone here feel the way Ymir, Oluo, and Reiner do…?"

An awkward silence washed over the entire group. Samus took a deep breath, slowly releasing it from her nose. "I'm not hearing anybody denying it…"

Krista Lenz, the timid blonde girl standing behind Ymir, spoke up. "It's…not that the rest of us are trying to be mean…it's just that…you have that armor to support you and help you physically. And…being so reliant on that armor…we feel like you might not be as physically capable as you think you are. When you have your suit to protect you, it's one thing…but we wouldn't want you to hurt yourself in your old age…"

Samus shifted her glare to Krista, but her face softened when she saw the sincerity in the young woman's eyes. Slowly, Samus turned and saw the look of reluctance in everyone's eyes. Samus sighed, knowing that these kids did mean well.

And then her gaze returned to Ymir.

The brash, freckled young woman had turned her nose up at Samus. "So, old lady, why don't you take a break and let a real soldier train us…"

Samus shook her head, but then began to chuckle. Confusion clouded everyone's faces as Samus, for the first time in a long time, laughed out loud. Ymir's eyes narrowed. "What the Hell are you laughing at?!"

Samus snorted and smiled at Ymir. "Oh, nothing…I must admit Ymir, you did manage to catch me off guard. I mean, I'm used to Reiner and Oluo by now…but I never thought you could outdo the two of them in terms of being so abrasive…"

Ymir scowled. "Some call it a talent. Now, are you going to ge the Hell out of our way and let us train for real…"

In response, Samus bent forwards, got right in Ymir's face, and proceeded to flick her nose. Ymir flinched back in shock. "What the fuck?!"

Not saying a word, Samus stood up straight and walked out of the group of children. Her back to them, she began to speak. "You know what? It's okay. If you guys want to train with someone else, I won't stop you…"

She shrugged. "What the heck, I'll even tell Erwin, personally, to find someone else. All you guys have to do…"

Samus put on a devious smile and turned back to them, taking a basic fighting stance. "…is hit me once. You don't need to do anything more…just hit me once and then we'll work out who'll be the person to train you all."

Reiner stood up, looking concerned. "Look, Samus, we…don't want to hurt you. We are trained in hand-to-hand combat you know…"

Samus, in response, put on her cheeriest smile and giggled. "C'mon Reiner, are you and Ymir scared of a little old lady? I thought you were big, bad soldiers…"

Ymir put on her most sadistic grin. "Fine. We can do this. But, you're going to regret it…everyone, charge her all at once! Let's show her what we've got!"

Sitting in the shade, drinking his tea. Levi sighed as he watched all of the 104th cadets, as well as his own Special Operations Squad, charge at Samus. Calmly and neatly, he got up and moved his chair slightly to the left, sitting back down and drinking more of his tea.

And then, as he sipped, immediately to his right, Levi sighed as Armin, Connie, Krista, Sasha, Petra, Mina, Ymir, Gunther, Eld, Jean, Bertolt, Eren, Reiner, and the Mikasa went flying past him, each colliding with a tree or with one another and landing in a heap on the ground.

Finally, last but not least, Oluo came flying directly at Levi, colliding with the tree trunk above and landing in his Captain's lap. Levi disgustedly sighed, checking the imprint of Samus' fist on Oluo's face. And then, he looked up at Samus, swaying around and bragging to herself.

Samus, herself, was feeling fantastic. It had been a while since she had a chance to fight outside of her suit. And now, she was beginning to remember just how much she loved it. Despite being such a "stoic warrior" and a "model soldier", Samus was jolting around like a little child, air boxing, dancing around, and cheering herself on. "Ooh! I'm so pretty! I am the greatest!"

Levi shook his head. "What are you doing?"

Samus beamed at him. "It's a quote from an old movie that I watch when I have down time. I'll show it to you if I ever find my ship."

Ignoring Samus' continuous patting herself on the back, Levi shifted his attention to the confused group of young soldiers now limping out of the woods. They were still having trouble comprehending it, not a single one of them managed to even get close enough to lay a finger on her, much less hit her. Samus turned to them, a catty smile on her face. "Problem guys?"

Ymir growled to herself, a steady scowl spreading across her face as blood leaked out of her nose. "It was just a lucky shot!"

Samus, in full snark mode, responded in kind. "Wow! 15 'lucky shots' in a row? I should play the freaking lottery!"

As Ymir struggled to come up with a response, Levi suddenly stood, pushing Oluo onto the ground. He grabbed his chair and his teapot and pushed his way through the others. "I think that's enough for me for one day. They're all yours Samus."

After watching Levi take his leave, the group turned back to Samus, who was currently stretching and whistling. Turning to Ymir, the aging bounty hunter smiled and winked at her. "Try again, cupcake, this continues until someone can finally hit me. And don't worry about time, we've got _all_ day!"

Huffing under her breath, Ymir screamed and charged at Samus. "GODDAMMIT!"

Samus, in an incredible show of dexterity, vaulted over Ymir, dodging her fist, and then, grabbing onto Ymir's shoulders, planted both feet into her back, sending her flying across the field and down a nearby well.

Ymir raged from her wet, new location. "Somebody lower the bucket!"

Samus strolled up to the well, a sinister smirk on her face. "Nah. Climb back up. It shouldn't be too hard for you, right?"

As the others surrounded her, Samus cracked her neck and turned to them. "So…let's dance!"

Much later that night, several hours after dinner, Erwin, Levi, Hanji, Mike, and Nanaba all sat together, discussing the logistics of the upcoming 57th Expedition. Nanaba pointed her finger on one of Erwin's diagrams. "I feel like if would be best to place the supplies here. The last time we out the supplies here, we lost most of them to a rampaging pack of Titans…"

Hanji smiled. "Well, you know, we could-"

Mike quickly interrupted her. "We're NOT eating Titan meat…"

Hanji whined. "But why?! It would be…delicious…"

Hanji and the others were surprised by Samus suddenly bursting into the tent. Without a word, and with a trickle of blood leaking from her lower lip, Samus went up to the food table, grabbing a pot of cold stew and several loaves of bread.

As Samus began to leave, humming a song to herself, she stopped to talk to Hanji. "I took a look at the ODM Gear today…and I'd like to talk to you about it. If, of course, you aren't busy…"

Hanji immediately bolted from her seat, a bright smile on her face. "Of course! What do you need?!"

Samus sighed. "Looking at the gear, I feel like there are several improvements that could be made. Please, go fetch three of them and meet me out in the fields. I'll be waiting."

Hanji vigorously nodded and chuckled to herself. "Sounds really fun! Can't wait! I'll meet you out there!"

Samus nodded, and then spoke to Erwin. "The kids are doing well Erwin. I'm positive that they'll make the improvements that you're looking for by the time the 57th Expedition is set to start."

Erwin remained stoic, but polite. "Excellent. Thank you for giving them your time. And please, contact me if you require anything to help the training."

Samus thoughtfully tapped her chin. "Well…now that you mention it. Do you happen to have any sort of analog for a Titan we could practice killing on?"

Erwin nodded. "Of course. I'll have several set up for you by tomorrow morning."

Samus nodded. "Great. Thank you. Have a nice night."

Erwin nodded and saluted Samus. Samus grabbed her food and wordlessly took her leave.

Returning to the field, Samus was happy to see a roaring fire set up near the trees. She hefted the pot onto the fire, allowing the soup to begin heating up. And then, she turned to the 104th Trainees and the Special Operations Squad. "O~kay guys! This was a good day. First off, I'd like to congratulate Mikasa for landing a hit on with. And, of course, I'd like to congratulate Ymir, Reiner, and Oluo for learning to work with their team and for distracting me long enough for Mikasa to land a punch! Let's hear it for the four of them!"

In response, from their beaten and battered position on the ground, the various young soldiers groaned out a congratulation for their comrades. Samus smiled at the sea of moaning and wailing before her. "Yup. Sounds like I gave you guys a good warm-up today. The real training begins tomorrow!"

Once again, more groans, these ones however were of pure agony. Samus smiled, turning and walking back to the sleeping bag she had set up for herself. "That's your dinner in that pot guys. Eat up and get some rest."

Later in the night, as Samus slumbered away in her warm little sack, she was suddenly awoken by a hot breath hitting her face. She opened her eyes to find Hanji, kneeling over her, mere centimeters from making contact.

Every fiber of Samus wanted to cry out. Hanji was WAY too close. But, instead, she politely struck up a conversation. "You aren't aware of the concept of personal space, are you?"

Hanji flinched and backed up slightly. "I'm sorry. I just…was trying to think of the best way to wake you up."

Quickly getting to her feet, Samus stretched and looked back at the others. Dead tired from a full day of sparring, they hadn't even made it to their sleeping bags, rather, they just piled on top of one another for warmth and nodded off. Samus smiled and turned to Hanji. "So, did you get everything I asked you to get?"

Hanji smiled and motioned to the cart of supplies that she had brought with her. "Everything we need for the project that you wanted to work on is in that cart! Hee! This is gonna be so awesome!"

Samus nodded. "Indeed."

As the two of them walked to the cart, Hanji fumbled to strike up a conversation. "So…uh…what color was your hair originally?"

As Samus removed the cover sheet from the cart and began fumbling around with her tools, she gave her answer. "Blonde. I went through a brunette phase in my teens, but I've always liked blonde."

Hanji nodded, accepting the answer, and then the two of them got to work. "So, what exactly are we fixing here?"

Samus turned to Hanji and smiled. "You're going to love it!"

The next morning, the tried and beaten Scouts shakily got to their feet. Reiner groaned as he began to stretch. "So, Ymir, are we gonna start questioning her again today?"

Ymir, only half-awake, was giving Krista a shoulder massage. "Fuck you Reiner."

Reiner remained his smarmy self. "I didn't think you'd want to. After all, you have Krista, right?"

Ymir snapped back at him. "Go jam it up Bertolt's ass!"

Bertolt, now fully awake, cried out. "Leave me out of this!"

Krista, still too tired to deal with her friends arguing, grabbed Ymir into a hug. "Don't get so angry so early in the morning. It's bad for your health."

Petra giggled at the sight of the two of them, Ymir glared at her senior. "You think something is fucking funny?!"

Petra shook her head. "You two are just adorable! I…wish the guy that I liked was more willing to be like that…"

Oluo, being a jackass, snorted. "Oh no! Petra's gushing about her crush on Captain Levi again!"

Petra growled at Oluo. "Piss off dumbass!"

Oluo shook his head. "You know that it will never work out. Levi isn't the type to-"

Oluo was cut off by a boot to the face, directly from Ymir. Ymir, for the first time, smiled at someone who wasn't Krista. "Don't let assholes tell you that love is impossible! You...you just gotta keep trying, girl. I'm sure, if you let Levi know how you feel, things will work out."

Petra smiled back. "Thank you Ymir…"

Samus, having been listening to the entire argument, stepped out from behind her hiding tree. "Good advice Ymir. So…how's everyone doing…?"

Eren was the first to step up. "We're feeling fine Samus. Ready for a big day of training!"

Mikasa and Armin both stepped up as well. As did Bertolt and Reiner. And Krista and Ymir.

Jean groaned as he stood, but, after a deep stretch, he sighed. "I guess I'm ready too."

Connie and Sasha, both behaving like children, whined. "But we don't want to get up!"

Fortunately, they were quickly motivated by Mina. "C'mon guys! I'm still recovering from being shredded by broken glass! If I can take this, so can you!"

Sasha and Connie tiredly glared at their peppy friend, but soon broke into goofy smiles. Finally, the Special Operations Squad stood up. Petra spoke for the group. "Let's do it Samus!"

Samus nodded. "Excellent. Then follow me. Hanji and I have something cool to show you."

Trepidaciously, the others followed, all thinking the exact same thing: usually, anything cool involving Hanji doesn't turn out so well.

Samus and her group made their way back to the castle, where Hanji was practically vibrating as she stared the sheet in front of her. "Oh…SAMUS! This is awesome!"

"I'd hope so."

Samus and Hanji both turned to see Erwin walking up to them. Shortly behind him, Nanaba and Mike followed. Finally, Levi walked out from the castle, a cup of tea balancing in his hand. Erwin cleared his throat and continued. "The quartermaster is _not_ happy about the two of you raiding his shed. Therefore, I would appreciate if this little display had some substance to it that I could show to him."

Samus nodded and turned to Hanji. Hanji cleared her throat and began to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you all for showing up today! We, Samus and I, have something incredible to show you!"

Samus clapped her hands together. "You see folks, upon my inspection of it, I found a metaphorical cinch in the Survey Corps armor: the ODM Gear!"

A gasp erupted from everyone. Nanaba shook her head. "We've been using the exact same ODM Gear design for years! And it's served us well, what could you two have done over the course of a night to improve it?!"

Hanji grinned. "Samus?"

Samus grabbed onto the sheet and pulled it from her and Hanji's work: The New ODM Gear. Samus picked up the gear and began to explain her improvements. "You see, upon inspecting the ODM Gear that you normally use, I discovered several key flaws that could lead to your death without you realizing it. First off, the wires. The wires that you use to zip around are fragile. They're too easy to snap in half."

Hanji giggled. "So we fixed that by binding the wires together into a new, double-helix style. This way of entwining the wires allows them to be just as flexible, but it doubles the strength. Not only will be able to zip around like normal, but, now the wires could be used as a way to combat the Titans."

Samus then picked up an old set of ODM Gear. "The next thing that I noticed, especially during Trost, was the lack of backup systems within the ODM Gear, just in case something breaks. That doesn't make for a very good weapon if one flaw could break all of it."

Hanji smiled. "So…we went through, performed a diagnostic on the entire design and made the following alterations. We strengthened the metal skeleton that holds in all together, we made room for more fuel tanks by removing unneeded structures within the fuel tank holsters. Meaning that we doubled the amount of fuel for the gear to feed off of!"

Samus nodded. "And finally, there's the lack of a back-up plan should the Gear happen to break…"

Hanji chuckled. "That had to be my favorite thing that we fixed. I never even considered this before!"

Samus held up the ODM Gears sword hilt mechanism, now with a smaller canister attached to the bottom. "This canister was mine and Hanji's magnum opus of last night!"

Hanji untwisted the device from the bottom and showed it directly to Erwin. "This little canister contains about 120 feet of the thinner wire, as well as enough fuel for three pulls of the trigger. With this, should your ODM Gear break in the field, it would give you a way to get the Hell out of dodge and find a place to hide until you're able to be retrieved!"

Samus nodded. "This, combined with every soldier being armed with an emergency smoke flare, would be ideal for reducing the number of casualties in the field."

Hanji and Samus beamed as everyone stared in awe at the new design, even Levi and Nanaba seemed impressed. Erwin, himself clearly impressed, nodded at the changes. "If I may take your prototype, I shall have our quartermaster begin modifying all of our gear at once. Every Scout will be outfitted with these changes in time for the 57th Expedition."

Hanji, absolutely thrilled, picked up the prototype. "I'll take it to him right away sir!"

As Hanji ran off with the New ODM Gear, and the rest of the Survey Corps top officers followed, Samus turned to the 104th and the Special Operations Squad, all of them still smiling in pure wonder.

Samus clapped her hands. "Okay guys, it's time to train. We're going to work on Titan killing together today! Everybody, go get your old gear and we'll start forthwith!"

Eren stared on, confused, as Samus stripped off her Survey Corps jacket. "Do you want us to get you some ODM Gear too, Samus? I mean, I know you have your armor, but I doesn't really zip around that well…"

Donning her armor, Samus smiled at Eren. And then, as she lowered her visor, she chuckled. "You know, I have been thinking about that Eren, but don't worry…"

Samus reached up and twisted her cannon, causing the Grapple Beam to shoot out. "…I've thought of a way to improvise!"

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	14. Chapter 14: Training Day

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 **Chapter 14: Training Day**

Samus stared, annoyed and incredulous, at the sight of the Titan analogs that Erwin had had set up for her. "Are you joking?"

Eren smiled at her. "No ma'am, these are the same type of dummy that we used to train in boot camp!"

Samus face-palmed at the sight of these so-called "advanced Titan analogs", they did tower above everyone, but the appeared to be made of cheap plywood, a dinky sandbag representing the Titan's nape.

The aging bounty hunter sighed. "And…just how in the Hell is this meant to train you to fight Titans?"

Petra grinned. "It teaches us where to aim and how deeply to cut to kill Titans."

Samus growled under her breath. "It's no wonder so many of you people die…"

Reiner glared at her. "Are you mocking our friends' deaths?"

Samus glared right back at him. "Stow it Reiner. I'm not mocking them…just implying that they'd all be alive if they trained with something more appropriate than the bullshit currently set up in front of us."

Eld groaned. "Can't say I don't agree with you. I've killed a ton of Titans, very few of them just stood there and took it…"

Samus nodded. "Exactly. So, I need to find a way to train you guys. We need something more appropriate."

After a few moments of awkward silence, Jean spoke up. "So, Samus, your Power Suit is pretty cool…"

Samus, broken from her thought, smiled. "Thanks. I've…I've had it for quite a while. It's almost a part of me now…"

Gunther nodded. "It's very stylized. The huge shoulders are an interesting choice…"

Samus laughed. "They're not just stylistic, they have a function!"

Krista was curious. "They do? What is it?"

Samus grinned. "I'll show you."

And then, to everyone's surprise, Samus shrank down into a tight little sphere, landing on the ground and zipping around. Everyone stared, amazed, as Samus rolled up the side of a tree, launching herself at the Titan analog. And then, Samus bursting from her sphere and blasted the "nape" killing the "Titan" in one shot.

Sasha and Connie were amazed, their eyes practically sparkling as Samus rejoined the group.

Oluo was flabbergasted. "How did you do that?"

Samus motioned to her shoulder. "My shoulder parts here allow me to roll up into my Morph Ball form. It's compact and quick and allows me to get around in a more discreet manor."

Gunther smiled, nodding his head. "Okay, that is a pretty cool use of those over-sized shoulders…"

Samus grinned at him. "Not bad for an 'Old Lady', huh?"

Bertolt frowned. "We…we weren't trying to offend you Samus. Well, maybe Ymir and Oluo were, but the rest of us were just…worried."

Samus cocked her head. "Worried?"

Reiner, rather sheepishly, nodded. "Not…not many people around here get to live to see old age Samus. And, well, you saved our lives. We were just worried about you hurting yourself outside of your suit."

Armin nodded. "Although you've tried to explain what exactly you are to us, we still don't have a lot to go on. Most of the concepts that you find to be commonplace are VERY foreign to us."

Mikasa spoke up. "But, that's all in the past. Even if this sounds presumptuous, you've earned our respect. Now, it's time for us to earn yours."

Petra smiled. "So, please, forgive us for our error in judgement…"

Samus turned to Oluo and Ymir. "What about you two?"

Ymir turned her nose up at Samus, Oluo crossed his arms and grumbled. But, suddenly, both of their ears were seized. Ymir's by Krista and Oluo's by Petra. They both groaned in pain, but eventually relented and apologized.

Samus, satisfied, accepted their apology, and then turned to see Connie, Sasha, and Eren all staring at various parts of armor on her back. "Do you guys have any questions you want to ask?"

It took a moment, but Eren eventually stood up, walking up to Samus' back and pointed at her elbow. "If everything on your suit has a purpose, then what are the elbow and knee spikes for?"

Samus looked down at Eren, and then her eyes widened. Smiling, she answered him. "You want to know what these are for? Well, it's actually pretty simple…"

And then, with no warning, Samus elbowed Eren in the stomach, sinking the pike on her elbow deep into his gut. Everyone stared in horror as, against his will, Eren was struck by lightning, his Titan from erupting forth in a huge cloud of steam.

The Survey Corps officers all zipped through the woods, heading in the direction of that sudden bolt of lightning: Samus' training grounds. They were all told exactly what that lightning entailed, Eren had transformed.

But, this wasn't good, no one had authorized a transformation. So now, here they were, running at top speed, ready to deal with a Rogue Titan if need be.

As the four of them landed, prepared for the worst, they came to a very strange sight. Eren, in his Titan form, was cowering away from the others, scrunched up in-between several trees. Meanwhile, Mikasa was furiously glaring at Samus, her swords drawn, as Armin held her back.

Nanaba, seeing that things were getting out of control, jammed her fingers in her mouth and whistled, gaining everyone's attention. "What the Hell is going on here?!"

Mikasa, practically foaming at the mouth with anger, barked at Nanaba. "She attacked Eren! She injured him and made him transform! Give me a reason not to kill you bitch!"

Suddenly, Eren reached down and put his hand between Mikasa and Samus, separating them from each other, breaking up the fight. Mikasa attempted to protest, but Eren shook his head. Slowly, the young Asian girl backed down.

The Survey Corps officers turned to Samus, each one's facial expression saying something different: Levi was annoyed, Hanji was thrilled, Nanaba was concerned, and Mike seemed angry. Mike spoke up first. "We didn't give you permission to make him transform. Hanji and Levi haven't had a chance to work with him on his transformation powers yet! What do you think you're doing?!"

Oluo barked at Samus. "Yeah! What the Hell?! Why would you make him transform like that?"

Samus turned to the younger Scouts, noticing that they had all drawn their swords in fear. She shook her head. "Perhaps I should have explained myself first…"

Gunther, not taking his eyes off Eren, admonished Samus. "You think so?! How could you possibly think it would be a good idea to summon this…BEAST?!"

Eren flinched back, caught off guard by Gunther's harsh words. Samus, enraged, turned to Gunther and scolded him. "Hey! That so-called 'beast' is your teammate and fellow Scout! And, for most of you, he's been your friend for five years! How could you draw your weapons on him like that?!"

Suddenly, everyone realized what they were doing, they all looked up at the Rouge Titan, the confused, sad look in his eyes, and lowered their heads in shame. Even Ymir, for her standoffish personality, seemed distressed at her reaction.

Petra looked up at Eren, a saddened expression on her face. "Eren…we…"

Eld interrupted. "We should focus on training for now. We have a lot of ground to cover over the next month, so we can't afford to waste any more time we could be spending training."

Levi nodded. "I couldn't agree more, but still, why did you force Eren to transform, Samus?"

Samus cleared her throat. "Well, Levi, you see, I do not feel that the Titan training analogs that you've provided me with are up to snuff. Quite frankly, they're garbage…"

Mike raised an eyebrow. "We've been using those things to train for years. How can you-"

Samus interrupted. "If you've been using them to train for years, then that would explain why you've made no leeway against the Titans. These sheets of plywood are nothing like fighting a Titan. Sure, they can teach you where to aim, but I doubt very many Titans will stand static and just take their death without question. Therefore, it's my humble suggestion that, seeing as we have access to an actual Titan, we train with him. Not to mention, it will give said Titan a good dose of training of his own."

Hanji's eyes sparkled. "So, you're suggesting that, by using Eren's Titan powers to train everyone else, we'll be killing two birds with one stone?"

Mikasa's glare turned to Hanji. "Are you suggesting that we _kill_ Eren just to better ourselves?!"

Samus interjected, picking up a piece of wood that used to be the Titan analog's arm. "No. Of course not!"

Everyone watched as Samus sprung up onto the back of Eren's neck, tying the piece of wood tight over his nape. "You guys are already familiar with how deep to cut, now were going to work on fighting against an actual Titan! Trust me guys, if you can beat a beast with intelligence, you can surely kill lesser beasts!"

Ruffling his hair, Samus turned to the Rogue Titan. "What do you think, Eren?"

Eren opened his mouth to speak, but, realizing that he couldn't form words, simply reached out for a tree branch. Picking it up, he very quickly snapped it in half with ease. And then he pointed at his much smaller friends. Samus nodded. "I see your point. You're scared that you'll end up hurting them, right?"

Eren nodded. Samus nodded back and turned to the Scouts gathered below. "Are you guys afraid that he might hurt you?"

Mina looked up at Samus, concern clouding her brow. "Well…not purposely. I know Eren would never actively try to hurt us…but…"

Jean spoke up. "But, we're not quite sure that he has full control over himself. We're scared Samus…you see where we're coming from, right?"

Samus jumped down from Eren's shoulder and walked up to Jean. "Of course I see where you're coming from. Despite the fact that he's your friend, he does resemble the very monsters that are responsible for killing your friends…"

Oluo glared at Samus. "Exactly. So, you should see why we'd be wary to fight against him. We have no way of trusting him."

Samus sighed. "That, Oluo, is why you should be training with him. No offense meant to Eren here, but he's much more valuable as a Titan than as a soldier. So, I can only imagine that, in battle situations, he'd be in his Titan form for most of it."

Sasha nodded. "That…is a good point…"

Samus glanced up at Eren. "So, here's my summation ladies and gentlemen. I feel as if training with Eren in his Rogue Titan form will cover three bases: You all will get to train against a Titan, Eren will get some practice in his Titan form, and, most importantly, you'll all learn to be comfortable around one another. Hopefully, over the next month, you'll all learn to be comfortable with one another in an intense situation. What do you all think?"

Everyone shifted around in their boots, not quite inspired by Samus' speech. She groaned, readying herself to order them to take part in the training, but then Reiner spoke up. "Personally, ma'am, I feel like it would be a fine idea to get to know better how Eren's Titan form operates. What about you, Bertolt?"

Bertolt, for the first time, didn't seem nervous. "I agree with Reiner. It would be for the best for us to get to know this new power of Eren's inside and out!"

Samus glanced at the others. "And the rest of you?"

Trepidation erupted across the group. However, their murmurs were abated by Levi's. "I think that's a spectacular idea, honestly."

Samus turned to Levi. "Do you?"

Levi nodded. "Yes. I think it's a very good idea actually. If we have people train with Eren instead of with dummies, maybe we'll start having less casualties in the field."

Hanji grinned. "I like it too. And…I'd like to spectate if you don't mind…"

Samus smiled. "Of course not Hanji. Feel free. As a matter of fact, I'd like it if you'd all stay. I'm still kind of new at this, so I'd appreciate it if I could fish for some pointers."

Nanaba smiled, taking a seat next to Hanji. "We'd be happy to help. We aren't particularly busy today."

Mike sighed. "Erwin is off meeting with the Generalissimo…"

Levi also, wordlessly, sat down. Now, with four of the most important officers in the Survey Corps observing them work, Samus, the 104th Trainees Squad, and the Special Operations Squad got to work on their training.

And so, Samus' own special boot camp began. Whilst, at the beginning, the kids were all scared of fighting one another. They slowly began to improve. After just a few days, everyone, even Connie and Sasha, had managed to reach and take out Eren's "nape". Now, they were working on combination maneuvers with the Special Operations Squad.

Meanwhile, Eren was slowly getting used to his Titan form. In the beginning he was slow, sluggish, and unsure of himself while facing down his friends, but, with time, Eren improved. His movements were more precise, more gentle when need be. He was at the point to where his could scale a tree with no visible damage to the tree itself.

But, best of all, Eren and the rest were all getting more comfortable with the Rouge Titan. In moments where they weren't attempting to "kill" Eren, the 104th and Special Operations Squad used their free time to try and work with him. It was impressive to watch as Eren used his momentous form to support and help his teammates, bulldozing obstacles out of their way and giving them boosts up where need be.

Even though the wooden Titan analogs had been outed as useless, the training Scouts did manage to find a purpose for them. Samus watched, beaming with pride, as the Special Operations Squad, the 104th, and the Rouge Titan smashed their way through hundreds of the standees. Eren breaking them in half and the others swooping in the take out the napes.

Eventually, after several days of watching them work together, Samus joined in on the fun. And even then, the others managed to surprise her. When she jumped in, Samus thought that the other would instantly begin to follow her, but she was wrong. She had to learn to follow their lead just as much as they had to learn to work with her. But, as they continued to train together, they grew more and more cohesive as a unit.

They had built a strategy not relying on the most skilled or most experience of their group, but relying on everyone's individual skills. During their practice hunts on Eren, Sasha, despite her lacking combat skills, was able to use her skills as a hunter to track Eren down. And then the others got to work using their skills. The Special Operations Squad and Samus were quickly able to take out Eren's limbs, Bertolt and Reiner were exceptional heavies. Mikasa, Ymir, Jean, and Mina were all capable lighting bruisers. And Connie, Krista, and Armin were excellent at support.

The second Eren was taken down, as soon as Mikasa landed near his nape, he roared, admitting defeat.

But, then, something even more impressive happened. Five days after they began to train, to improve and bond, other Scouts began to show up, asking to take part. At first, it was only one or two of the lesser grunts, but then droves of the more experienced officers began to show up. After a while of training, Samus' little group went from a small handful, to the entire Survey Corps taking part in warring with Eren.

Although they didn't take part, the Survey Corps higher-ups did spectate. And while Levi and Nanaba still thought Samus was crazy for coming up with this type of training, they were both impressed. As were Mike and Hanji. Soon enough, even Erwin was taking part in beholding the spectacle, watching at his entire army fought with Eren's Titan form, impressed at how equally matched they were. The Scouts won some of the training sessions, but so did Eren.

Samus, worn from a full day of training exercises, joined the higher-ups in spectating. "Levi, is that a smile I see on your face?"

Levi turned his frowning mug to Samus, shaking his head. "No. But, I will concede that this is impressive. Everyone is improving at an incredible rate down there…"

Hanji was beaming. "It's only been half a month since you began these exercises…IT'S ONLY BEEN HALF A MONTH! And look at them down there. Our soldiers are working together so well! And…look at Eren…"

Samus watched on in pride as Eren weaved his way through several Scouts, effortlessly contorting his body through them and gently taking them all out. "Yeah. It's amazing what some practice will net you. I imagine that this upcoming Expedition that you all keep talking about is going to have some great results."

Erwin nodded. "I feel the same way. But, if it's okay with you, I would like to begin incorporating my formation strategy into the training tomorrow. Fighting skills mean nothing if we're all caught off guard."

Samus pulled off her helmet, running her fingers through her messing helmet hair. "Absolutely. We're at the point in training to where we can start incorporating advanced concepts. I'll let you lead the way tomorrow Erwin."

Erwin shook his head. "No. We'll work together. Most of the people down there relate to you more at this point than to me. So, we'll collaborate to incorporate my strategies into this. Are you okay with that?"

Samus stared up at the rising moon, the light from the celestial body reflecting her crystal blue eyes. She nodded. "That would be fine. But, I believe that it's about time to call it a day."

Samus reached into her Survey Corps jacket, which she had started to wear over her armor, and pulled out the smoke flare gun that she had been using for the past few days. Samus loaded a smoke cartridge in the gun, firing the bright orange flare into the sky, signaling the end of the training day.

As all of the worn out Scouts filed away, ready to eat their daily rations and go to sleep, the Rogue Titan finally had a moment to breathe. As it huffed and puffed, the Rogue Titan's eyes rolled back, it's nape splitting open and Eren falling out. As he plummeted to the ground, however, Eren was grabbed from the air. He looked up and saw, to his surprise, Oluo had grabbed him, and was currently smiling down at him. "Hey Titan brat! How you doing?"

Eren smiled at Oluo, chuckling under his breath. "Everything aches…"

Oluo shook his head. "Fine then, ya lazy bastard, I guess I'll just have to carry you…"

Eren groaned and slumped down in Oluo's arms. "Thanks Oluo…"

Oluo rolled his eyes. "Shut up. You're my comrade. I'm just doing what comrades should do."

Suddenly, Petra's voice sounded out. "Damn right. But, at the same time, quit being so brash, dumbass!"

Eren looked up, smiling at what he saw. Whereas the other Scouts rushed away to get food and rest, all of his friends had stayed behind, waiting for him to join them. Ymir scowled at Eren. "So, you're sore all over huh?"

Eren nodded. "Yeah, Titan form takes a lot out of me…"

Ymir nodded. "I see."

Then, without warning, Ymir punched Eren in his arm, making him cry out in agony. Krista scolded Ymir. "Now why would you do that?! Eren just said he was in pain!"

Ymir wiped dried blood from under her nose. "That was for slamming me into a tree today!"

Mikasa, despite her normal overprotectiveness of Eren, simply shook her head. Giggling at Ymir's brashness. Armin turned to his friend, happy that, for the first time, she was lightening up, and grabbed her into a hug. Mikasa warmly returned the hug, and then realized that Armin had passed out onto her. Shrugging, she picked up her friend, carrying him.

Reiner, laughing at a joke that Bertolt had just told, turned to the others. "Mina, Gunther, and I will go get the food. You guys go find a nice place to set up our tent!"

Gunther smiled, handing an exhausted Eld over to Sasha and joining Mina and Reiner in getting the food.

Jean stretched, his shoulders sore, and turned to Connie. Connie smiled at him. "You doing okay man?"

Jean hesitated, but then nodded. "Yeah Connie. I'm doing pretty great actually. I'm feeling a lot better."

Connie nodded. "That's good. Marco would be happy."

Jean nodded. "Yeah. I know. I wish he was here…"

Bertolt turned to Jean, a somber frown stretched across his face. "We all do…we all do Jean…"

Eld groaned from Sasha's back. "I'm sorry guys. I've…lost friends to the Titans too, but, look on the bright side…with all of this training, I doubt that we'll be losing anymore friends anytime soon…"

Sasha smiled. "That's a pleasant thought…I love you guys. I don't want to think about losing any of you."

Finally, Mikasa spoke. "So, let's not think about that. I see a nice open spot up ahead. Let's get started building up our tent for the evening."

Late into the evening, in her tent, Samus snuggled into her sleeping bag, making sure to zip it all the way up to her neck, not wanting anyone to see her goods, currently laid bare beneath the fabric.

But, as Samus' eyes were fluttering shut, as she slowly was drifting off, Samus heard her tent open up. Samus sat up and was surprised to see that Erwin had just barged in. Samus sighed and shook her head, taking care to keep her naked form hidden. "You people kill me; you know that? Has this planet not developed knocking yet? Because I can explain that concept."

Erwin nodded. "Forgive me. I didn't realize that you wouldn't be decent. Do you have a moment to talk?"

Samus sighed, propping herself up against the wall of her tent. "What is it that you'd like to discuss, Commander?"

Erwin smiled. "You've impressed me, Ms. Aran. Therefore, if it's okay with you. I'd like to let you into my inner circle."

Samus raised her eyebrow, searching Erwin's face for any sort of give, but finding nothing. Intrigued, she nodded. "Go on."

The next morning, Samus remained completely stone-faced as she watched the Scouts file out of their tents, ready for another day of training. Once the team they had sent to the base came back with supplies, they would begin slogging through the motions of Erwin's battle strategy.

Samus glared over at Erwin as he talked to Levi and Hanji. After what he had told her last night…she didn't know what to make of him or his goals anymore. But, she had promised him to remain tight-lipped on what he had shared with her. And she did agree…provisionally. The results of the 57th Expedition would help her decide on how to further handle the enigma that was Erwin Smith.

Suddenly, Samus was interrupted of her introspection by Levi. The short-in-stature Scout Captain eyed Samus suspiciously. "Is something wrong. You look…out of sorts…"

Samus shook her head. "I'm just…it's…where is the party we sent for supplies?! They've been gone for nearly forty minutes. They should be back by now…"

Unfortunately, Samus' question was immediately answered. She and everyone else, stared on in confusion and horror as one of the Scouts they had sent off, came storming back up on his horse. A look of pure terror frozen on his face. As Samus approached him, she was horrified. For the Scout was not only terrified, he was _missing a leg_.

Levi ran up to the blubbering former model soldier, shaking him back into reality. "What the FUCK happened to you! Hey! Snap out of it!"

The Scout, clutching the stump where his leg used to be anchored, cried out. "Captain Levi!"

Levi grimaced. "What the Hell happened?! Where are the others?!"

The Scout, shaken beyond belief, cried out. "MONSTER!"

Suddenly, Hanji's interest was piqued. "Monster? Is there a Titan at the base? How did it get in?!"

The Scout rapidly shook his head, terrified tears flying off of his face. "It's not a Titan! It's _DEFINITELY_ not a Titan!"

Levi was confused as he questioned the Scout. "What the Hell else could've bitten off your leg?!"

The Scout cried out, more and more blood running down the side of his horse. "It didn't bite! It slashed it off. And…it can't be a Titan. I refuse to believe it's a Titan. I'VE NEVER SEEN A TITAN WITH WINGS, SIR!"

Samus' eyes widened. "No…it can't be…"

Mike turned to Samus. "Samus?"

Samus shook her head. "It can't be!"

And then, without a word, and forgetting her Power Suit, Samus began her sprint back to the Scout's main base, praying the entire time that this "monster" wasn't who she thought it was.

Confused and angry, Levi motioned to the 104th and the Special Operations Squad. "What are you waiting for?! Mount up and follow her! Mike, Nanaba, Hanji, and I will be right behind you! Everyone else! Stay here and prepare to supply back-up should it be required! LET'S GO!"

Samus arrived at the base, skidding to a stop and carefully beginning to listen. She was quickly followed by the Survey Corps higher-ups, the 104th, and the Special Operations Squad. Levi immediately barked a question at her. "What the Hell is going on?! Why'd you run off like that?!"

Samus responded by shushing Levi. But, before he could respond to her, a horrific scream cried out from behind the castle. "WHY?! OH GOD, WHY?! PLEASE, PLEASE…AGHHHHH!"

Everyone was shaken silent. Ymir was the first one to speak. "What the fuck was that?!"

Eren, remaining silent, looked around, hoping to see signs of an approaching enemy. However, when he looked of and caught first sight of the foe, all he could manage was a terrified gasp. Everyone, including Samus, glared upwards and gasped right along with him.

The creature was huge: giant razor sharp claws ended in tips on its bony hands, its prehensile tail, with several impaled Scouts hanging from it, was tightly wrapped around one of the castle spires, its purple armor plating sheened in the rising morning sun, it's yellow eyes darted around, looking for more prey, and its monstrous beak, with several more terrified Scouts hanging from it, twisted into a terrifying smile once it saw the group of people gathered below it.

Eren swallowed a lump in his throat and then turned to Levi, who was equally speechless and horrified at the spectacle in front of him. And then, he turned to Samus, who was frozen in place with a positively seething look on her brow. Finally, the Titan boy spoke up. "What is this thing?!"

Levi was speechless, barely managing to shake his head at the winged horror in front of him. Samus, on the other hand, managed to speak one word, her voice filled with the most direct hatred Eren had ever heard. "Ridley…"

Meanwhile, the monster's eyes focused directly on Samus, and it began to laugh. Despite its mouth being full of other terrified humans, there was no mistake what it had said. "The Hunter. Hello…Samus!"

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	15. Chapter 15: Ridley

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 **Chapter 15: Ridley, the Space Pirate**

Stunned silence was the only response the Scouts had to what the beast atop the castle had just said. Apparently, the horror that was currently towering over them not only knew their newest compatriot, Samus Aran, but it was intelligent enough to know her by name.

This monster was certainly no Titan. Whilst Titans seemed to be similar to humans, this beast was anything but. No, it was far, far worse than that. It looked to be some sort of demon, not mindlessly hunting for food, but rather enjoying its kills. Whilst its attention was fully focused on the group of them that had come to kill it, it was still quite aware of the pain and misery it was causing to the Scouts in its clutches. And it was _thoroughly enjoying it_.

Suddenly, to the collective shock of the still confused Scouts, Samus brashly marched forward, pulling her Paralyzer from its holster, and screaming directly at the beast. "RIDLEY! PUT THEM DOWN NOW!"

In response, the monster chortled. "Oh, my! I. Am. TERRIFIED! You have a Paralyzer! I'm shaking in my scales!"

Samus' eye twitched as her lips curled into an intense snarl. "I said-"

Ridley, clearly amused, interrupted his foe, giggling with sadistic glee. "So, where is your Power Suit?! Did it burn up in the atmosphere?!

Eren, still incredibly confused, tried to question Samus. "Samus?! What the Hell is that thing?!"

Samus promptly ignored the confused Titan boy, silently cursing herself. "Dammit! How could I possibly be stupid enough to forget my Power Suit?!"

Shaking her head, she levied her Paralyzer once more at the now monstrously enlarged Ridley. Fighting back tears of utter rage, she barked one question. "How many?!"

The gathered Scouts all seemed confused. Ridley amusedly cocked his head. "How many what, dear Hunter?"

Samus screamed her question at him. "How many people?! The last time I saw you, you weren't nearly this big! How many innocent lives did you take to get this big?!"

Shrugging his shoulders, Ridley gave an answer that displayed just how little he valued the lives of those around him. "You know…enough…"

Samus gritted his teeth, observing each terrified Scout hanging from Ridley's dripping maw. Finally, Levi yelled at her. "Samus?! What the Hell is going on here?! What the FUCK is that thing?!"

Samus turned her glare to Levi. "…His name is Ridley."

Mikasa, her steely gaze staying focused on the beast, questioned the name. "Ridley?"

Samus nodded. "He's a monster. A filthy Space Pirate. He…he's killed a lot of people in my life. He's my worst enemy…"

The Scouts all glared up at the monster, somewhat in awe of the fact that it was able to hold the position of being Samus' WORST ENEMY. If she was able to kill Titans so effortlessly…then what in the Hell was this thing?

Samus, losing her cool, cut a razor sharp glare back at Ridley. "I said to PUT. THEM. DOWN! I'm not going to ask again Ridley!"

Ridley smirked, his gaze falling down to the struggling Scouts between his fangs. "You want me to put them down. Fine. I'll put them down…"

Samus remained trepidacious at Ridley slowly opened his beak. But, suddenly, as the Scouts were beginning to plummet from his mouth, Ridley snapped his teeth together, shredding the terrified young men and women into a fine pulp. Samus could only stare on in genuine horror as Ridley laughed, the poor Scouts innocent blood raining from his horrific grin. "Well, there you are Hunter! I've put them down! Down like the WORTHLESS ANIMALS THEY WERE!"

Everyone gathered on the ground below, from the fresh-faced members of the 104th, to the more experienced Special Operations Squad, to the hardened senior officers were utterly speechless. Even Levi, for all of the shit he had seen in his life, could offer no words. The Titans, they were one thing, mindless predators at their best, but this thing was much different. It was the mind of a hardened killer and the instincts of an apex predator, all rolled into the very stuff of nightmares.

However, the stunned silence was broken when Ridley coughed, spitting up a terrified-looking severed head at the Scouts feet. It was then that Levi's surprised visage was traded for one of pure anger. He turned to the Special Operations Squad, a red tint in his eyes, and barked an order at them. "KILL IT! NO MERCY!"

Ridley's eyes widened, his playful smirk spreading into something much more disturbing. "Oh! MY FOUR MOST FAVORITE WORDS!"

As the enraged Scouts all piled towards Ridley, his gnarly featured all spread out into attack mode, Samus could only stand there in horror. The aging bounty hunter, despite her inherent toughness, fell to her knees. She had failed to stop him…again.

 _Despite the ferocity of the malfunctioning Ridley's attack, and despite her intense hatred of it, Samus couldn't help but feel a bit of gratitude towards it. Despite not being released from her captivity, Samus was at least moved somewhere more comfortable._

 _She shifted in her hospital bed, trying to get some weight to shift off of her injured side. The shackles around her wrists certainly didn't make it an easy task, but it could be worse. If it wasn't for Higgs, High Prosecutor Jansen would've most likely had her gagged and restrained even tighter than she already was._

 _Samus sighed and stared out the window into the depths of space. If Higgs was to be believed, everything would turn out well and maybe, for once in her life, Samus would finally get some peace._

 _But, unfortunately, Samus' current run of peaceful rest was interrupted by two Federation Officers bursting into her room. They both walked up to her, undoing her restraints and sitting her up, pointing their rifles at her._

 _Samus grumbled under her breath, but was pleasantly surprised to see Higgs stroll into her room. "Hey Princess. It's time. The big day. Are you ready for your trial?"_

 _Samus smiled and nodded. "Can't wait to finally be free of all of these shackles. I've got a ton of cramps going on right now…"_

 _Higgs nervously smiled at Samus, producing an entirely new set of restraints. "Sorry Princess. Last time, I swear!"_

 _Samus let loose a ragged sigh, but meekly presented her wrists._

 _Outside Samus' hospital room, Tara Jansen impatiently waited. Her foot tapping on the ground, waiting for General Higgs to bring that haughty bounty hunter out. Jansen turned to the door as it opened, and flashed a smarmy smirk at Samus._

 _Samus' face was beet red as Higgs marched her out of her room. Her hands bound, her feet hobbled, and an explosive collar chained around her neck. Higgs glared at the smug High Prosecutor. "This is INCREDIBLY unnecessary."_

 _Jansen turned up her nose and turned away from them both. "I disagree."_

 _As Samus, Higgs, and Jansen walked down the hallways of the space station, heading towards the transport ship that would take them down to Daiban, Higgs whispered kind assurances to his friend. "Everything is gonna be fine Princess. We're gonna go down there, bring up everything that you've done for the Federation, and make that stuck-up bitch eat her words."_

 _Samus smirked, shaking her head. "I really hate that nickname Higgs…"_

 _Higgs laughed, kindly moving a lock of Samus' beautiful golden hair from her face. "I don't know why. It suits you. You're pretty as a princess, ya know?"_

 _Samus shook her head. "Stow it. I'm still mad at you."_

 _Higgs flinched. "For what?!"_

 _Samus glared at him. "Ridley clones? REALLY HIGGS?! You're aware that those Ridley clones are all clones of RIDLEY, right?!"_

 _Higgs sighed. "Look Princess. What happened with you was an isolated incident. We normally have those clones dampened down with a healthy dose of specially cloned Metroids. The eggheads at Space Station Gamma informed me that #13 just got a bad batch of them. Once it's reconditioned, it should be fine."_

 _Samus shook her head. "But…IT'S RIDLEY! The fearsome, evil Space Pirate! Remember him?! Remember how much it took to kill him?! And now you have how many of him?!"_

 _Higgs sighed. "We have 30. 30 nigh-invincible troops that, when not being wasted watching you, are very capable killers of Mother Brain's remaining forces! Think about it Samus, we're using him to fix a lot of the harm that he's inflicted upon the galaxy. The original Ridley's ashes are spinning in the vacuum of space right now!"_

 _Samus remained dour and silent, clearly unconvinced. Higgs sighed, releasing the chain he was using to lead her and clasping his hand over hers. "Look. I know that you'll never like it. But Ridley in now being genuinely helpful in upholding the peace of the galaxy. Whether or not he likes it. But, if it makes you feel any better…"_

 _Higgs pulled out his communicator, clicking it on and dialing a number. "Hail! Space Station Gamma. This is General Higgs. Requesting a status report on malfunctioning Ridley Clone #13."_

 _Cheerily, the Doctor of the other end addressed the situation. "Good day General Higgs. Ridley #13's problems have been properly resolved. We've given it a fresh injection of Metroids and we've placed a stronger inhibitor chip into it. It should be up and running within 3 days."_

 _Higgs nodded. "Very good. Thank you for the update Doctor!"_

 _The Doctor responded. "No problem sir!"_

 _And then, with a quick salute, the Doctor cut of the off the transmission._

 _Higgs turned to Samus. "See Princess? Everything is under control. Now, how about we focus on your trial? What do you say?"_

 _Samus was unconvinced, but she nodded. "Yeah. For now, we should focus on my trial."_

 _As they boarded the ship and took their seats, Samus and Higgs continued to hold hands. Samus gave his hand a tight squeeze. "I'm tired Anthony. I want to rest so badly."_

 _Higgs smiled, returning the squeeze. "Well, you'll finally be able to after this!"_

 _Meanwhile, at Space Station Gamma, the Doctor hung up her phone, and promptly slumped over. Pulling his claws from the back of the twisted, flesh marionette that he had created, Ridley slurped the blood from its fingers._

 _And then, as it observed the carnage it had caused, the Ridley dugs its claws into its neck, pulling out the inhibitor chip. Ridley #13 then picked up the corpse, inserting it into his mouth and swallowing it whole, his body increasing its mass due to the energy-sapping Metroids in his blood. And then, Ridley #13 took at seat, jacking the Federation computer system directly into its neck and grinning. As the info downloaded into the beasts' brain, he smirked a sinister grin. Ridley #13 was finally learning his heritage, and he LIKED it!_

"SAMUS!"

Samus jumped as she was brought back into reality. She turned and looked at Eren, intense concern burning across his face. "We need you to get up Samus! That monster is-"

Eren was interrupted by Gunther's beaten body colliding with him. Samus looked on in horror as the remaining three Special Operations Squad members fell from the sky. Each of them hit the ground with a solid thud, their swords and bodies broken.

Samus glared up at Ridley as he killed off three more Scouts with one mighty swipe. "Even this planet's military is pathetic!"

Samus let loose a mighty roar and charged at Ridley. The old bounty hunter leapt at her worst enemy, colliding into him and tackling him from the top of the castle. Samus grabbed the beast by his tail and slammed him into the side of the castle. "I'm getting tired of you killing my friends!"

Ridley sat up, sneering at Samus. "I don't care!"

And then, with a flick of his tail, Ridley sent Samus flying across the field. Taking a moment to cackle at the sight of his mortal enemy sailing across the sky, Ridley was surprised when a small group of five Scouts all, simultaneously, attempted to slash the back of his neck.

As the terrified fleshy specs stared at their broken swords, a deep-set horror clouding their brows. Ridley nodded at them, shot them a glistening smile, and then incinerated every last one of them to death.

Watching yet another group of their soldiers dies at the hands of the winged terror that had invaded their base, Levi, Hanji, Mike, and Nanaba turned to each other, nodded, and sprang into action.

Very quickly, the four senior Scouts flew into action. Mike and Nanaba struck first, sinking their swords into Ridley's wings, shredding the fleshy layer of skin that allowed him to fly.

In a rage, Ridley swung back at them, but they managed to avoid the instant death that was his claws. Suddenly, to Ridley's horror, Levi and Hanji zipped up to the opposite sides of his face, slicing both if his large, yellow eyes in half.

Ridely screamed in pain, backing away from the four, pissed off veterans. But, to the veterans' disdain, Ridley's now crippled features began to heal themselves, much like a Titan's would.

Mike grumbled under his breath. "Goddammit! What do we do now? His nape is armored!"

Nanaba glared at Ridley. "This thing has killed a bunch of our troops. There has to be a way to return the favor…"

Hanji tossed away her old, worn blades, drawing new ones. "If that armor is the problem…"

Levi sneered at Ridley. "We simply need to peel it off!"

With a nod of understanding between them, the four veterans jumped into action, zipping towards Ridley, ready to strike. But, to their surprise, Ridley immediately took to the air. With several massive flaps, Ridley was soon a purple speck in the sky.

Nanaba cried out. "What the Hell is he-"

Suddenly, Ridley released a shrill shriek. And then he began to plummet back down. Mike's pupils shrank. "HE'S DIVEBOMBING!"

With no more than a hairs breadth between them and the crushing force of all of Ridley's weight, the four veterans managed to dodge. Unfortunately, Ridley was smart. Before any of the four of them could react, the Space Pirate reached out, slashing Nanaba's ODM wires and smacking her to the concrete below.

In a rage, Mike tried to avenge his comrade, but was summarily swiped into a window by Ridley's tail.

Now, to Ridley's delight, it was down to two prey. Levi stared at Ridley, a piercing, hateful glare gleaming in his eyes. Hanji, meanwhile, was deep in thought, examining Ridley for any apparent weaknesses.

Unlike Hanji, Levi was quick to action. He took to the air, reverse gripping his blade and flying into his buzz-saw technique. Flying towards the monster, Levi went straight for the throat, but quickly had to break formation to dodge a fast fired fireball from the Space Dragon.

Attempting to regain himself, Levi was shocked to be suddenly seized by Ridley's tail. Ridley smirked at Levi, who returned a cold scowl. Ridley giggled, and then began to slowly squeeze Levi to death, crushing the Captains ribs in with his tail.

Ridley pulled Levi up to his face. "Scream!"

Levi literally spat in Ridley's face. "Fuck you."

Before Ridley could retaliate, Samus returned to the offensive. Wrapping her Paralyzer whip around Ridley's beak, she pulled his head prone so that the sudden advent of Erwin could bury a sword deep into his eye socket.

As the monster stumbled back in pain, Hanji saw her chance. Noticing the chinches in Ridley's armor around his spine, Hanji surmised that she could cripple the beast by slashing away at his spinal cord.

Hanji zipped forward, readying her blades to strike. However, Ridley, noticing her with his remaining eye, swipe at her with his tail, tossing Levi into her and sending them both flying into a nearby bell tower.

Levi laid on the hard, wooden floor of the bell tower, clutching his crushed ribs. Hanji, on the other hand, laid motionless, bleeding from a huge gash on the back of her head from where she hit the bell.

Meanwhile, on the ground, the 104th did their part. Although most of them were truly terrified, they ran out and grabbed their injured superiors, dragging the Special Operations Squad and Nanaba into what remained of the castle.

However, the bolder members of the 104th took the fight to Ridley. Mina Carolina, Mikasa, and Reiner all swarmed him, following Commander Erwin's lead. Ridley took several slashes at them, all while attempting to dig Erwin's blades from his eye socket.

Unfortunately for Ridley, his progress with both killing and healing was consistently halted by a spraying of Paralyzer blasts from Samus. As he turned to his rival, ready to strike at her, Ridley was surprised by a sudden punch to the face from Eren, followed by several slashes at his remaining eye. And then, with another massive Rogue Titan punch, Ridley was sent flying back.

Samus, Eren, and the remaining able-bodied Scouts all stood strong, ready to continue the fight. Ridley, however, had had enough. Glaring at the defiant prey in front of him, Ridley decided on the "kill 'em all" route!

Breathing in deep, Ridley released an absolutely MASSIVE FIREBALL at the small team of Scouts. Unable to dodge, the Scouts all began to panic, but they and Samus were saved by the timely intervention of Eren.

Quickly, the Rogue Titan grabbed Mikasa, Erwin, Reiner, Mina, and Samus, and tossed them all through a nearby window. And then, in an act of selfless sacrifice, Eren pressed his Titan body over the window.

Meanwhile, up in the bell tower, Levi hurriedly grabbed the unconscious Hanji, pulling them both underneath the bell to shield them both from the flames.

As the smoke cleared, Ridley finally got Erwin's blade out of his eye socket. As his eye quickly healed, Ridley cackled and stalked up close to view his handy work. In the smoldering remains of the castle, Ridley found Eren's Titan form.

Yanking it from the castle wall, Ridley was delighted to see the flesh practically melt from what remained of the Rogue Titan, it's entire head falling off, revealing Eren's body within.

Within the castle, Mikasa, the only person still conscious attempted to stand. Seeing that monster, Ridley, threatening her Eren, she tried to hobble her way out to fight, only to trip over Samus' prone body, currently buried from the waist down in signed rubble. Helpless, Mikasa could only watch as Ridley raised his claws into the air, ready to strike!

Ridley laughed. His many rows of sharp teeth glistening in the sunlight. "I bet I'll gain another 8-feet from eating you! But, don't worry, the suffering won't last long, but it will be intense!"

Ridley opened his mouth, readying to shove Eren in, but, suddenly, came to a halt. To the confusion of everyone observing, Ridley dropped Eren and suddenly began to cry out. The monster stumbled away, shrieking at the top of his lungs.

Ridley collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain, as blood pour from his ear canals. And then, without so much as a word, Ridley flew away. Flying off into the distance, screaming in agony, and leaving the Survey Corps injured and stupefied.

A day later, at Samus' training camp, all of the Ridley survivors laid in their tents, injured and ordered to bed rest for at least 3 days. None of them were able to comprehend what had happened. As quickly as Ridley had shown up, he was gone.

Despite the sheer amount of confusion, the situation had brought them, all they could do was question how Samus had managed to survive so many encounters with that monster. Unfortunately, Samus was in no mood to answer. Ignoring the medics, she chose not to remain in bed to heal her wounds. Rather, she was modifying her Power Suit for the coming battles. Ridley was still alive, and she needed all of the firepower she could get to deal with him. Her worst nightmare was back yet again, but this time, _HE WOULD DIE FOR GOOD_.

 _Three Days Later. Shinganshina District._

Ridley screamed at the top of his lungs as he rampaged across the ruins of Shinganshina. The angry monster sent several buildings flying all at the same time. The monster turned to his home base, the place where he landed during after his ship was shot from the sky, kicked the remains of the house he had crashed into.

And then, finally, he stalked up to the Wall to scream at the person who had prevented his bloodlust.

Rattling the tiny cage, he had built into the Wall, Ridley screamed at the top of his lungs. "HOW DARE YOU PREVENT ME FROM SECURING A KILL?!"

Ridley, absolutely livid, looked over at his other prisoner. A large, lumbering, smiling brute that had tried to eat him whence he had first awoken. The monster blankly stared at Ridley, its arms nailed to the Wall itself. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!"

Ridley slashed the creature across the face, instantly regretting his decision as the same wounds opened across his face.

As the slash marks began to heal themselves, the gashes steaming shut and the skin healing, Ridley turned his attention back to the cage. "ANSWER ME DAMN YOU!"

The voice within the cage sarcastically quipped back. "I'm not looking at you. I'm blind. Remember?"

Ridley screamed at his prisoner. "THAT ISN'T THE QUESTION I MEANT! WHY DID YOU STOP ME FROM TAKING THAT KILL?! YOU'VE NEVER CARED BEFORE!"

Steam erupting from her face as the gashes across them healed, Ridley's prisoner stepped forth. "You've never tried to harm someone I cared about before…"

Ridley sneered as his prisoner, Carla Yeager, stepped forth. Her eyes empty and white, Carla emotionlessly threw her bowl at Ridley. "I'm out of water. Get me more."

Ridley growled at her. "You'll get water when you make the pain stop! Make it stop NOW!"

Carla shrugged at Ridley, reaching up and yanking a large, sharp piece of stone from the back of her skull.

Ridley sighed in relief, reaching down to the nearby stream and refilling his prisoner's bowel. "How dare you stop my kill?! I would kill anyone else for that!"

Carla sat onto the floor of her prison. "Well, you'd be able to kill me if you could figure out how to reverse this blasted splicing technology of yours. Trust me Ridley, I'd rather be dead than live connected to you and that thing down there…"

The Smiling Titan stared up at Carla. Carla growled under her breath. "I hate you both…"

Ridley roared at Carla. "What the Hell did you mean by 'someone you cared about'? What was that boy to you?!"

Carla bolted to her feet, marching right up to Ridley. "That was my SON! And the girl in the scarf was my DAUGHTER! And let me tell you something right now Ridley!"

Ridley flinched at Carla's sudden burst of life. The poor, crippled woman continued her tirade. "If you ever, AND I MEAN EVER, try to hurt my children again…I might not be able to kill us…but I'll make the rest of our connected, collective experiences a living Hell! ARE. WE. CLEAR?!"

Ridley lunged at Carla, but she responded by pointing her sharp stone at her throat. "Ridley. I will laugh as the three of us drown in our own blood."

Backing away, Ridley shrieked at the top of his lungs. And then, he immediately went back to rampaging through the ruins of Shinganshina.

The moment her psychotic captor was back to his childish rampage, Carla fell to her butt and tightly hugged her knees. Despite the brave face she had put on, Carla was absolutely terrified. For five years, FIVE LONG YEARS, she had been this monster's prisoner. Trapped in an ever-looping, everlasting cycle of immortal limbo. Unable to do anything about what Ridley had been doing with his time and, even worse, having to see everything from his point-of-view.

For, while Carla was blind in her own eyes, she could see through the eyes of Ridley. She had seen what he had done to all of those innocent people, seen what he was going to do to her babies, and, through sheer force of will, had barely managed to stop him with a quick stab to the head.

And now, here she was, emotionally drained and helpless in her prison. Only able to make empty threats that most likely wouldn't cut it in the long run.

Looking down at the Smiling Titan, and then out at Ridley, Carla began to weep into her knees. "Please. Please…someone save me…or KILL me…"

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	16. Chapter 16: The 57th Expedition

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 **Chapter 16: The 57** **th** **Expedition**

Today was the day. After a full month of training, and in spite of a surprise visit from Ridley, the Survey Corp was ready. Ready in the sense that they had reached their deadline, but ready nonetheless.

The Karanese District seemed to have sprung to life for the day. It's citizens hustling and bustling towards the gates. The jaded adults wanted to be there to cast their scorn on the Survey Corp for "wasting their taxes on such nonsense" whilst the kids wanted to go watch as the cool heroes in green capes readied to go take the fight to the Titans.

The higher-ups of the Survey Corp all gathered together. Mike and Nanaba were discussing the logistics of their Erwin-assigned duties. Hanji was talking with one on her subordinates about the equipment they were tasked to transport. And Levi sat silently on a table, silent as he mentally prepared for what he was about to do.

Suddenly, all of the leaders turned as Samus appeared in their tent. The bounty hunter twiddled two of her fingers together as she spoke. "I…I normally am not so self-conscious…but I'm excited for this voyage. So, uh, how do I look?"

Hanji, Mike and Nanaba all smiled. Nanaba nodded at Samus. "You look great. Like a true Scout!"

Samus nodded, happy that her visor blocked her face. She didn't want anyone to know how badly she was blushing. The bounty hunter reached down, adjusting her brand new Survey Corp jacket and retightening her cape. For all intents and purposes, at least in the eyes of the Survey Corp if no one else, she was one of them. A fellow human, trapped within the Walls, who just wanted one taste of sweet freedom from the Titans.

The joviality stopped when Erwin entered the tent. His face an expressionless stone. "We have twenty minutes until the operation begins. Go gather your soldiers and get into formation."

Everyone nodded. Standing and walking out of the tent, towards their horses. Hanji stopped, once out of the leader's sight and turned to Samus. A broad smile stretched across the crazy woman's face. "Good luck out their Samus. Not that you need it!"

Samus smiled back, putting her hand on Hanji's shoulder. "Same to you. Don't you dare die on me."

Meanwhile, within the rabble of lesser Scouts, all gathered and waiting for their orders, the 104th Trainees Squad and Special Operations Squad used their last moments to regard one another. Eren, for once smiling, stared towards the gates that lead to the wilds of Wall Maria. "Today is the day. Today is the first day towards taking it all back!"

Oluo shook his head. "Don't get over-zealous. These things take time brat. We're not going to arrive back in Shinganshina just like that. There's an army out there to fight."

Petra, however, was optimistic. "Don't listen to this dumbass Eren, it won't be so hard this time around. We have Samus on our side. She and Captain Levi will lead us towards getting rid of the Titans for good."

Krista giggled and grasped Ymir into a hug. "Think about it Ymir. A world without Titans! We'd finally be free to live how we wanted."

Ymir, staring off into the sky, barely seemed to register anything Krista had said. "Uh-huh…"

Bertolt raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong Ymir?"

The freckled young woman shook her head. "Uh-uh…"

Reiner growled under his breath. "Just ignore her, she's trying to be a downer. Just like always."

Ymir didn't even blink. "Fuck you Reiner."

Reiner stood up. "You wanna try you butch-"

Connie and Sasha rose to stop their friend. Sasha shook her head. "C'mon Reiner! Ymir's just nervous. We _all_ are!"

Connie nodded. "Yeah. C'mon man! This…isn't easy for anyone. Ya know?"

Whilst his friends all bickered, trying to hide their frazzled nerves, Jean turned to Mina, Mikasa, and Armin. "What about you guys? You afraid?"

Mina cracked her knuckles. "Not a chance. I was worthless the last time we faced the Titans…but not this time! I've been training, working on my skills, I'm ready Jean!"

Mikasa merely shrugged, silently finishing her breakfast apple. Armin remained silent.

Eld and Gunther, breaking off from their conversation, noticed Armin's sudden turn for the taciturn. Gunther pat the little guy on the back. "Hey Armin…you feeling okay?"

Armin looked up at Gunther, a big but nervous smile cracking across his lips. "You guys want to hear something cool?"

Everyone fell silent and turned to Armin. Eld chuckled. "I think that would be a yes!"

Armin nodded, closing his eyes. "When Eren and I were little kids, we used to read a book I once had together. It was an old book, but it was always one of my favorites."

Reiner was amused. "And what did this old book have. Fairytales?"

Armin shook his head. "It was better than any fairytale. It described…what the world outside the Walls would be like. Bodies of water so deep you couldn't swim to the bottom, deserts of sand so vast you couldn't see one end from the other, and mountains so tall that you could pierce the heavens themselves. I'm not being so quiet because I'm scared guys…I'm being quiet because I can't wait to see it what I read was true or not!"

That lightened the mood significantly. Everyone, from Oluo to Ymir was wrapped up in Armin's words. All of them hypnotized by what he was describing. Armin concluded his little speech to them with his ultimate dream for the future. "Samus said that we could leave this world once we find her ship. I can't fathom whether that would be true or not, but wouldn't it be great? After seeing everything in this world, if I have any life left in me…I might get to see what's beyond it!"

Suddenly, Armin was interrupted. "And I'd love to be your tour guide for all of that."

The two squads turned to see Samus and Levi walking up to them. They sighed, it was time for them to split up. At least for the time being. Slowly, but surely, they all gave their best goodbyes to one another.

Mikasa grabbed Eren into an agonizingly long and strong hug. "You had better stay safe…"

Eren smiled. "Of course I will. But…you too, okay?"

Mikasa smiled at Eren. "It's a promise. I'll see you again once we take our first break…"

Reiner chuckled, wrapping his arm around Mikasa's shoulder. "Yeah man! You'd better at least make it to the first break!"

Bertolt sighed, yanking Reiner off of Mikasa before she tried to kill him. "We know you will! We'll see you there!"

And then, with that, the 104th Trainees Squad, now Squad Samus, was gone. Faded into the crowd of other Scouts and out of sight.

Levi motioned at his Special Operations Squad. Petra, Oluo, Gunther, Eld, and Eren all stood and saluted their Captain. Levi nodded. "C'mon, let's get into position."

Hanji wistfully regarded the empty space next to her. She shook her head. "I'm going to miss having Levi there…"

Nanaba smiled. "It's okay Hanji. We'll be fine. Levi needs to protect Eren so…we have to deal with not having him here right now."

Mike nodded. "We'll be fine without him. And he'll be fine without us. We'll make it through this…"

Hanji sighed. "You guys know what he said to me before he went to find his squad?"

Mike and Nanaba turned to Hanji, their interests piqued. Hanji chuckled. "He said that our dumbasses had better live to see Wall Maria retaken!"

Mike snorted. Nanaba laughed out loud. "Then…I guess our dumbasses had better survive this!"

Erwin, still silently sitting atop his mount turned to his three longest-standing officers. Not betraying a single emotion on the outside, the Survey Corps leader nodded at the three of them joked. He agreed with Levi, they had better not die on him. The five of them had worked too hard to not live to see humanities freedom. They needed to live until the job was done.

Finally, the time had arrived. Every Scout was in position. Every Scout was prepared. Eren looked out at the crowd of people, noticing three children, not unlike he, Mikasa, and Armin, gathered to watch their heroes depart. One of them, a young girl, waved at him. He waved back.

And then Erwin yelled. "LET THE 57TH SCOUTING EXPEDITION BEGIN! FORWARD!"

Eren stared in awe as he, Levi, and the Special Operations Squad galloped from the Karanese District. It all occurred so quickly, one gigantic, swift motion. Eren glanced around at the world that they had just entered, so different from within the Walls, and instantly became disheartened.

What they entered into was truly a depressing scene. What stood before them was the skeleton of what was once a thriving city. Now, it was nothing. Eren gripped the reins of his horse in a rage, those monsters had taken it all from them.

But, suddenly, to Eren's horror, he looked up and saw an even worse sight. Several Scouts weren't joining them, they were leaving their horses and engaging the swiftly approaching Titans. Two of them ones that had left were already dead.

Eren quickly reached for his swords, ready to engage and assist, but Levi quickly admonished him. "What the Hell are you doing?!"

Eren turned to the Captain who was glaring back at him. "You aren't cleared to leave the formation. Re-sheath those blades now!"

Eren quickly tried to fire back a response. "But Captain. They're our comrades and-"

Levi cut him off. "They're doing their jobs. Don't look, they'll eventually catch up."

It was then that Eren noticed that the other Scouts, the other veterans, all were keeping their heads down, several trembling as they heard their ally's death throes as the small army of Titans that were gathered around the gates finished them off.

Eren was surprised by Petra suddenly speaking at him. "The Titans would kill so many more of us if it wasn't for them Eren…"

The Titan boy turned to his comrade, who seemed to be fighting back tears. "They're doing what's best for the mission. All we can do is hope that they catch up to us once the main group has passed…"

Properly sickened, Eren lowered his head, clamping his eyes shut as he and the rest got farther and farther away from Wall Rose.

Once properly far enough away from the Walls, the tight bundle of Scouts quickly spread out, each squad ready to do their duty. Mike took lead of the Eastern flank, Nanaba took the West, and Levi took lead of no more than his own squad and Eren. Each of them knew their role in Erwin's plan, and they were ready to execute it.

As the Eastern and Western flanks spread out, ready to warn of approaching Titans, Erwin and Hanji lead their contingent of troops ahead of the others. They too knew their part in Erwin's master plan, and they knew that they had a limited time to set it up.

They had to hurry.

Eren and the Special Operations Squad were on their own. There was no sign of any other Scouts within their prevue. Eren was still sick over the concept of acceptable losses, but the other members of the Squad were trying to cheer him up.

Petra shakily smiled. "So, Eren, I never got to go to Shinganshina. How was it…?"

Eren remained silent, staring off into the distance. Petra frowned, looking to the others for help. They had nothing to offer her. In desperation, Petra looked to Levi for help. Levi sighed. "Hey, straighten up Eren! We need you to focus, you never know when we might require you to transform. You're one of Humanity's greatest hopes, so act like it!"

Eren swallowed the lump in his throat, staring ahead at Levi. "Y-yes sir!"

After a few more moments of silence, Eren looked ahead and was immediately confused. "Captain Levi?!"

Levi turned back to Eren. "What is it?!"

Eren pointed into the sky. "Someone has fired off a blue flare ahead of us! What does the blue flare mean?"

Levi's eyes widened as he looked ahead, a trail of blue smoke rising into the sky. "What the Hell…?"

Petra was confused. "Captain?"

Levi gritted his teeth. "Keep moving forward! We need to keep schedule!"

As the Special Operations Squad continued moving forward, they were all more uncomfortable. While Levi was never the warmest person, something about his tone was especially frigid now. He wasn't saying anything, but they could tell…something had gone wrong.

Meanwhile, on the Western flank, Dita Ness and Luke Siss, the Survey Corps horse-trainer and quartermaster, work together to swiftly execute three Titans. Happily landing on their horses, they cheer as two of their friends from the distraction squad catch up with the group.

Dita smiled at them. "Good to see you guys made it. How many did we lose?"

One of the returning Scouts shook his head. "Four. They were caught off guard and surrounded. We killed the Titans and returned them to the Garrison. Their funerals are already being planned."

Luke shook his head. "Good. They deserve that much. But…"

Dita turned to Luke, who had a furious glare shining in his eyes. Dita nodded. "You want to find a Titan to get revenge on?"

Luke nodded. Dita turned and smiled. "Well, your prayers have been answered. Look to the West!"

Luke and the several returned Scouts looked towards the West and saw what Dita was pointing out. Very quickly, from the distance, a 14-meter Titan was sprinting towards them, it's head down.

Luke smiled and turned to the others. "Let's go get some revenge for our comrade's guys!"

Dita shook his head, watching as his friends went flying towards the easy prey. "Those guys…"

Returning his attention forward, Dita tried to keep focus on the mission. He turned his attention to his horse. "Hey Shallot. How you doing girl? You feeling well?"

Shallot whinnied back at Dita, clearly enjoying herself. Dita chuckled. "Well, that's good girl. Because-"

Suddenly, Dita and Shallot were both sent flying. Something huge and heavy crashed into them, sending them both flying and tumbling across the ground. Very quickly, Dita recovered and was horrified at the sight before them. Whatever had hit he and Shallot, it was strong enough to split Dita's beloved horse in twain. Her lower half was splattered on a rock, her upper half was laying farther down the field, gasping her final breaths.

Dita turned to the force, clenching his teeth in rage. "What the Hell-"

But, his rage was quickly replaced with fear. The 14-meter Titan, the one his comrades had went after, was right on top of him. It's strangely feminine shape cast a curvy shadow over him as it glared down.

Dita stared up at it, attempting to find a proper way to engage. However, he was quickly horrified at what he saw. Luke was trapped in the monster's grip, tightly compressed, he was gasping for air and attempting to escape.

Seeing Dita's fear at the sight of Luke's predicament, the Female Titan did something unprecedented. It's dour expression quickly shifted to a sadistic smile. And then, it grabbed Luke's head with its other hand and snatched it off. As Dita stared in horror at the sight of Luke's blood raining from the sky, he came to a startling revelation about the Titan. "It's sentient…IT'S SENTIENT!"

Realizing that all of his other comrades were already dead, Dita turned heel and began to zip away from the Female Titan. He had to tell Commander Erwin of this horrific revelation. It was confirmed, another Titan like Eren existed!

However, Dita was abruptly stopped. Rather than let him simply zip away, the Female Titan took action. It took a running leap over Dita, landing on the horse trainers ODM Cables and slamming him into the ground.

Sputtering and coughing up blood, Dita looked up at the Female Titan, expecting it to reach down and eat him. But no. Rather than eat her prey, the Female Titan chose to instead stomp on him, crushing Dita Ness like a bug.

It's first slaughter completed, the Female Titan scanned around, looking for signs of what to do next. And, to its pleasure, the Female Titan quickly found its answer. An answer in the form of a blue smoke flare rising into the air. Satisfied and knowing where to go next, the Female Titan began to process of bulldozing its way towards the source of the flare: The Forest of Giant Trees.

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	17. Chapter 17: The Female Titan

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 **Chapter 17: The Female Titan**

Levi sat in silence on his horse as he and the Special Operations Squad sat and waited at the entrance to the Forest of Giant Trees. Eren slumped over on his horse, forbidden to dismount, as the rest of the Special Operations Squad cut down any approaching Titans.

With boredom and confusion getting the better of him, Eren questioned Captain Levi. "Captain? Why are we just sitting here?"

Levi gritted his teeth, something clearly going through his head. "Just shut up. You'll know when it's time to go…"

As Petra sliced down two more Titans, she landed next to Eren. "I'm…kinda with Eren on this one Captain. We've explored this forest before…why aren't we moving along to the next unexplored area?"

Oluo snorted at Petra. "And here I thought you believed the Captain infallible…"

Petra growled back at her obnoxious teammate. "Shut up dumbass! I'm not saying that the Captain is wrong…I'm just wondering why?"

Petra's question was quickly answered when a Scout from the western flank, blood spurting from his missing right arm, came zipping up to the group. "Captain Levi! Thank God! We've…we've got a huge-"

The Scout was cut off by another of his comrades flying forth and colliding into him. At near Mach speed, the two Scouts went flying, splattering against one of the giant trees.

In horror, Eren and the Special Operations looked into the distance and saw it approaching. A 14-meter Titan, with a distinctly feminine shape, was quickly sprinting towards them, each stride covering several yards. Gunther, rendered just as speechless as the rest, looked towards the Titan, noticing that it was spinning something around in its grip, like a giant pocket watch. "What the Hell is that thing spinning?!"

Squinting to get a better view, Eld couldn't quite make out what the creature was holding. "I don't know…it looks like it's some kind of wire…"

Suddenly, the Female Titan came to a stop. It flung its arm, the one spinning the wires, back, and then slung it forward. With an audible crack, the Special Operations Squad were quick to rise in defense of whatever was flying towards them…however, none was prepared for the horror that collided with them.

Whilst Oluo, Eld, and Gunther were able to cut the mystery projectiles down from the air, Petra was knocked over by a piece of it. And, when she came to, her first reaction was pure terror.

As his comrade cried out, Oluo rushed to her aid. "Petra?! What the Hell-"

Oluo could barely manage a gasp. Looking down at Petra, and at the field beyond her, all that could be seen was the pulped remains of their fellow Scouts. Oluo swallowed a lump in his throat as he sadly glanced down at their pale, colorless remains. The Female Titan had gathered up several of their comrades, spinning them around like rocks in a sling, and launched them, like mere bullets, at the Special Operations Squad.

Hyperventilating, Petra quickly got to her feet, tossing away the severed head that had knocked her from her perch, and quickly began trying to wipe what little blood had remained in the cranium from her shirt.

Upon seeing the slaughter, Eren, Gunther, and Eld were up in arms. Eren turned to the ever approaching Female Titan and jammed his hand in his mouth. "I'll kill that thing!"

Suddenly, all five frenzying Scouts were called to order by Levi. "NO! It's time to go! NOW!"

Although the others tried to protest, one glare from Levi was enough to silence them. And then, albeit trepidaciously, they all followed Captain Levi into the Forest of Giant Trees. Coming to a skidding halt, the Female Titan glared after them as they fled into the darkness of the Forest, and then it quickly followed.

Being chased by the dark woods, followed by what was essentially an intelligent predator, Eren and the Special Operations Squad couldn't help but have a bit of a breakdown. This wasn't like training with Eren in his Rogue Titan mode. This thing, this Female Titan, had no trouble killing them as need be. And they had no idea what it wanted. It was just following them, deeper and deeper into the claustrophobic forest. The could practically feel its breath on their necks.

As they continued on, several of their compatriots tried to stop the monsters advance. And, although they put up a valiant effort, not a single one could make the Female Titan miss a step. Eren was particularly shaken by this, forced to watch as droves of heroic Scouts were swatted from the air, bashed like mere insects into spatters of blood across the landscape. The young Titan boy turned and looked back, agony slowly spreading across his brow as three more Scouts, veterans nonetheless, were very quickly killed off and forgotten. One woman, the Scouts psychiatrist, stared fearfully at Eren. Time stood totally still for a mere moment as she mouthed to two words at Eren: "Keep Running". And then she was quickly shoulder crushed into a tree. The Female Titan didn't even look at her as it crushed her to death.

With the poor woman's body hanging from the tree, having been practically embedded into the bark, Eren only had one response. He turned around and, without hesitation, leaned over the side of his horse and vomited.

After getting sick all over the side of his horse, Eren cried out at his comrades. "HOW CAN WE ALL JUST KEEP RUNNING WHILE THEY ALL DIE?!"

Eren turned again, shooting an angry glare at the ever approaching Female Titan. He was met by no more than cold indifference…along with the faintest hint of a smug smirk. Eren's eyes bugged from his skull. "I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL THAT THING!"

Eren jammed his hand into his mouth, ready to bite, but was quickly interrupted by Petra. "Eren! You can't! The Captain ordered you not to!"

Eren glared at Petra, pain infecting every inch of the poor young womans face. "This isn't easy for any of us! But…we have to trust that the Captain and the Commander have a plan set up. And that plan doesn't involve you yet! You need to be patient and trust our comrades!"

Eren sniped back at her. "I do trust my comrades! And they trust me back! And we just galloping by while that thing kills them off. Nobody here has died any semblance of a meaningful death! And…look at the look in that things eye! It doesn't even care that it killed them…IT'S ENJOYING IT!"

Eld was blunt in his response to Eren's accusations. "You think we can't see that?!"

Eren turned to Eld Jinn, who was practically biting a hole through his lower lip. "I knew way more people that that thing has killed than you do! But…we have to trust that our superior officers have a plan. Because…at the moment…it we tried to fight that thing…I would kill us. And more importantly…it would kill you…"

Eren flinched back. "Me?!"

Gunther nodded. "You. Listen Eren…we know that you like to feel that you're equal…that we're all equal to one another. Just a bunch of humans fighting for humanity's sake…but that's not the case anymore…"

Eren could feel the tears building in his eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?!"

Oluo, through clenched teeth, yelled at Eren. "It means that we'd love to be killing that thing right now. But…then we'd be taking a chance of it killing you. And you…you're one of the best hopes humanity has at freedom from the Titans. Your worth more than any of us…so we have to be willing to die for you…FOR THE GREATER GOOD!"

Petra nodded. "So please…stay still and just listen to us. We're your comrades Eren! You're FRIENDS! Please, just let us protect you…"

Eren lowered his head, sniffling and trying to hide his face from the others. Petra and Eld sighed in relief, they had finally gotten through to him. Suddenly, Eren screamed out. "That's the STUPIDEST thing I've ever heard!"

The entire Special Operations Squad turned to him as he railed at them. "What in the world could ever, EVER, make you think I'd accept this! You guys…all of you _are_ my friends, just like you said! SO WHY WOULD I EVER BE CONTENT WITH YOU DYING FOR ME?!"

The Special Operations Squad was shaken. Touched, but shaken. Eren glared at them. "Don't ever think I want you to die for me! I'll take care of myself, I'll help to save Humanity, and I'll kill EVERY. SINGLE. TITAN! Starting with that _bitch_ behind us!

As Eren turned, ready to transform and fight against the Female Titan, Levi suddenly spoke up. "Eren."

Eren turned to Levi, disgust and anger in his voice. "What?!"

Levi glanced back at him, his glare not angry for the first time. Rather, it seemed to be quite understanding. "I'm not going to stop you from doing what you want. If, when I'm done talking, you still want to stop and fight that thing, more power to you. But, you need to look at the bigger picture here!"

Eren growled at Levi. "What bigger picture?! How could you possibly justify all of these people, these brave veteran Scouts, dying for me?!"

Levi was calm as he spoke. "This isn't about us. I'm not going to say that I know what decision is the right decision, for all I know we let so many of our comrades die for no reason whatsoever. But, when I go out into the field, I'm always prepared for anyone, even myself, to die in an entirely pointless way, for the attainment of Humanity's ultimate goal…"

Eren cocked his head, confused. Levi sighed. "We're out here, doing this, for the people within the Walls. Every bit of ground we work to retake out here is for them. In hopes that…someday…they're able to see a future with no Walls set in front of them. No limits to their world. Now, in your opinion, is that not a goal worth fighting for?!"

Calmly, Eren sat back into his saddle. He turned and looked over a Petra, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please Eren. We want you…NEED YOU, to trust us. Don't you trust us?"

Looking around at his comrades, each staring at him, pitying the position they were forced to put him in, Eren cried out. "OF COURSE I TRUST YOU!"

Overcome with relief, the Special Operations Squad sighed out. Oluo smiled at Eren. "Don't worry kid. When the time comes…we'll kill that thing for what it's done!"

Eren nodded. "Right."

He turned in his saddle. "You hear that?! We're gonna make you-"

Surprised at Eren's sudden silence, Gunther called out. "Eren?! What wrong?!"

Eren's voice was barely a whisper. "Where'd it go…?"

Shocked, Levi and the Special Operations Squad all turned, noticing that the Female Titan was no longer pursuing them. Eld was flabbergasted. "What the-"

Suddenly, in front of their horses, the Female Titan dropped from the tree tops, snatching up Eren with its teeth, turning heel, and immediately sprinting away. Petra, eyes wide in horror, cried out. "EREN!"

Gunther stood in his saddle. "Son of a bitch!"

Eld reached for his sword. "Oh my God!"

And Oluo, the first one ready, zipped off after the Female Titan, his three squad mates in quick pursuit. "GET BACK HERE!"

The Special Operations Squad, in hot pursuit of the Female Titan, were all panicking. Petra was horrified. "We have to catch that thing and cut it open before it digests him! We can't let him die!"

Oluo yelled back. "I FUCKING KNOW THAT! THIS THING IS FAST!"

Not making any headway in catching the Female Titan as it ran, the Special Operations Squad were losing hope. However, they were quickly surprised by a sudden explosion blasting off the Female Titan's leg. And then, in a flash of bronze and copper, the beast was sent tumbling backwards, towards Levi and the Special Operations Squads horses. The Special Operations Squad, dumbfounded, hung still in the air, wondering what was happening. However, they were quickly made to follow by two familiar faces.

Confused and disoriented, the Female Titan sat up, it's leg already growing back. However, it soon became very angry whence Samus landed in front of it. Samus nodded at the beast. "Monster."

The Female Titan sat there, stewing in its anger when, suddenly, screaming began to emanate from the beast's mouth. "It has my hands pinned between its teeth! Get me out of here!"

Samus cocked her head. "Spit him out! Only warning!"

In response, the Female Titan raised it fist into the air, ready to crush the measly copper speck in front of it. Samus sighed. "You asked for it…CHILL OUT!"

Suddenly, in a flash of white, the Female Titan's entire upper body was flash frozen, encased in solid ice. Samus stood there, admiring her handy work. She was quickly joined by the Special Operations Squad, as well as Mikasa and Armin.

Armin was shocked. "You froze it?!"

Mikasa was less impressed. "And you made a terrible pun?"

Samus griped at her two subordinates. "Hey, fuck you! I never get to make puns. Most of my enemies are too serious of a threat to joke at…it's nice to be quippy every once in a while…"

Petra, who was still panicking, yelled at Samus. "This is no time for jokes! That monster ate Eren!"

Samus shook her head. "No it didn't. Eren is sitting in its mouth. The monster never swallowed…"

Quickly leaping into action, the Special Operations Squad, Armin, and Mikasa began to chip away at the Female Titan's jaw, trying to dig out their friend. Samus, taking a moment, glanced over at Levi. "Hey…Levi?"

Levi, glaring up at the Female Titan's frozen form, bluntly answered. "What?"

Samus posed a question. "Why didn't that thing swallow Eren?"

Before Levi could answer, his Squad came back down, a shivering Eren in tow. Samus nodded at him. "Good. Now that that is finished. I guess we should-"

Suddenly, it's leg having regrown, the Female Titan stood. Everyone watched in terror as, with quite a bit of effort, the Female Titan cracked the ice encasing it, leaving nothing on its upper torso but muscle and bone. And, even still, the beast was very quickly healing itself.

Samus shook her head. "Scratch what I was about to say, RUN! Mikasa! Armin! Follow me!"

As the Special Operations Squad ran, the Female Titan quickly continuing its chase, Samus retreated to the treetops. "Okay everybody, ready?!"

Samus was answered by a cascade of affirmations. "READY!"

Samus nodded. "Good, then let the operation begin!"

As the Female Titan followed its prey, its temperament having shifted from smug to angry, the creature was unprepared for what occurred next. Mikasa and Mina suddenly fell from the tree tops, winding up and slashing out the monster's eyes. This was quickly followed by a blast to the face from Samus.

As the monster began to buckle, Connie, Krista, Ymir, and Sasha got to work, tying the Female Titan's feet together and tripping it up. Seeing that the monster was down, Samus whistled for the others to join in.

Quickly responding to orders, Jean, Reiner, and Bertolt bursted forth from their hiding place. Reiner and Bertolt leading everyone else's horses, whilst Jean and his horse were pulling a cart of supplies. As the others landed on their horses, Samus landed on Jean's cart. "It won't be long until that thing recovers! Ready up for Part 2!"

The Female Titan was furious. Not once, but TWICE, that copper-colored hitch in the plan had prevented progress. It stood, ready to, this time, complete its objective. But, as the Female Titan charged forward, ready to strike, it was surprised by what it saw. Not a group of different Scouts, wearing different clothes, sporting different hair styles and hair colors, but a uniform group of Scouts, all with the same hair, same clothing, and all hunched over, with their faces hidden.

Angry, the Female Titan lunged forward, ready to take a swipe at several of the Scouts at once, only to be cut off by a copper-colored boot to cheek. Samus wagged her finger at the Female Titan. "Sorry, not today!"

And then, after deftly dodging a midair punch, Samus shot a super missile at a tree behind the Titan, pinning it to the ground. Landing on the tree, Samus barked orders. "Eren's #1-8 flank to the left! Eren's #9-16 flank to the right!"

Samus smugly waived in the Female Titan's face. "Have fun searching! Thwart ya soon!"

And, with that, Samus zipped back into the tree tops. Roaring in a rage, the Female Titan threw the tree off of itself and once more began to chase. The Female Titan made several more attempts at catching a prey, any prey, but was each time thwarted by Samus' intervention.

After twelve more failed tries at grabbing some prey, the Female Titan had had enough. The next moment Samus came down, she very quickly reacted, swiping the bounty hunter from the air in through a nearby tree. With that problem momentarily handled, the Female Titan went on to more pressing concerns.

It didn't take much for the monster to catch up to the fleeing Scouts and, despite their best efforts to avoid being caught, eventually and "Eren" was picked from the bunch. The Female Titan grabbed the "Eren" by the hair, pulling the wig from its head and revealing that it wasn't Eren, but rather Armin.

Despite being terrified of the certain death in front of him, Armin didn't scream. He remained silent, bracing for his death. However, the Female Titan didn't attack. It, almost lovingly, smiled at Armin, placing him down onto a tree-branch and continuing its search.

Armin was totally confused. He watched as the Titan, with its waving blonde hair, sprinted off towards his friends. And, even in the face of the monster killing his friends…Armin couldn't help but feel a certain sense of familiarity.

However, the young Scout was quickly broken from his trance by the returning Samus. "Armin! Hurry up. You've been caught, so get going to the final position!"

And then, without so much as waiting for an answer, Samus leapt away, ready to face the Female Titan again. Armin, meanwhile, remained frozen in place. Something about that smile, those eyes, he knew that he recognized them…

Flying up behind the Female Titan, Samus sent it flying to the ground with a swift kick to the head, and then barked orders at the remaining Eren's. "ERENS! MANUEVER THE SECOND! TO THE AIR!"

Immediately, the two groups of Eren's complied, taking to the air and zipping forth. Nodding, Samus immediately took to the treetops, ready for the final part of the plan to take effect. Noticing that each Eren was doing their part, Samus went back down for one final strike. The Female Titan roared at the sight of Samus flying towards it. But, despite its best efforts, the beast had to way to avoid the solid punch to the face from its smaller opponent.

However, luckily for the Female Titan, that hit from Samus gave it all it needed to know. For, when the Titan got back up, it saw what it needed to see, two Eren's attempting to sneak away from the rest.

Leaping to action, the Female Titan pursued her separated prey. It was time to end this.

Eren and Bertolt zipped towards their destination, as assigned by Samus. Neither knowing what they were supposed to do next. Bertolt shakily sighed. "God. This is it, huh?"

Eren smiled over at his nervous friend. "Don't freak out Bertolt, everything is going to go according to plan!"

Bertolt nodded, taking a quick glance back at the approaching Female Titan and quickly cowering. "Yeah…according to plan…"

Landing in a barren field, Eren turned to Bertolt. "We've got this Bertolt! Don't worry!"

Eren turned from his friend, drawing his swords and crying out. "Ready?!"

Bertolt stared at Eren's back, taking a deep breath and steeling himself. Bertolt drew his blades. "Ready."

Eren clenched his teeth and braced himself as the Female Titan came bounding through the trees. With the Scout-killing Demon in front of him and Bertolt at his back, Eren was ready for whatever came next.

But, suddenly, as the Female Titan stepped forth, a torrent of Super Missiles rained from the treetops, pulping the monster's limbs and most of its lower body into steaming goo. And then, even more shockingly, Erwin and Hanji both rose from the brush, triumphantly throwing down their hands and screaming a single order. "FIRE!"

What happened next, in the eyes of every Scout whose comrades had died this day, was beautiful. Hundreds of tow cables, each with a gigantic harpoon on the end, shot from within the brush, spearing through the Female Titan and suspending what was left of it midair.

Finally, Samus fell from the sky, using to barrels of water that she had strapped to her back to splash the Female Titan with water. And then, with one final smirk, and a wink, Samus levied her cannon at the Female Titan. "I'll say it again bitch, CHILL OUT!"

As Levi, the 104th, and the Special Operations Squad rode up, quickly followed by Armin, they all saw a gorgeous presentation. Hanging in the air, lacking any limbs, and frozen solid, the Female Titan hovered. Unable to move, it's eyes darting around in a mixture of fear and confusion.

Samus landed in front of her comrades, turning to Eren and shooting him thumbs up. "Mission Accomplished."

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	18. Chapter 18: Traitorous

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 **Chapter 18: Traitorous**

Every Scouts in the Survey Corp, at least the ones left alive after the Female Titan's rampage, stood in awe of the hamstrung monster, hanging frozen in the sky. Most of the Scouts were furious, as it had been tabulated that this beast had killed at least 60 people in its vain attempt to get at Eren Yeager. Erwin Smith, the Scout Commander, stared down at his troops as they rallied for the monster's blood. Erwin looked back at Mike Zacharius, who was standing there, kicking himself, over the loss of so many of his fellows. Nanaba was trying to console him, but he was having none of it. Erwin sighed to himself. "I promise; you all won't have died in vain…my precious comrades."

The Scout Leader looked down at his feet, imagining a mound of corpses gathered below his boots, every dead Scout staring back up at him. He closed his eyes. "I promise."

Meanwhile, on the ground behind the Female Titan, the Special Operations Squad and 104th Trainees Squad were all in the midst of changing clothes. Mikasa, looking out for her fellow woman, stood vigil, swords drawn, as they all changed out of the "Eren" costumes.

Eren chuckled as his comrades became themselves again. "Man, you guys look really weird from the front. I mean, you all looked like me from the back, but from the front…"

Jean, irked at Eren's prodding, threw his wig in his comrade's face. "Screw you. If this is the last time I dress as your Suicidal Bastard ass, it'll be too soon."

Krista, walking past Mikasa and adjusting her blouse, turned to Armin and giggled. "It's weird Armin…you actually look more like me than Eren. Maybe, if a psychotic Titan is ever chasing me…you'll lure it away."

Armin blushed, his entire face turning beet red. Immediately, his eyes hit the floor. "I…uh…um…I…"

Krista cocked her head. "Armin?"

Armin nervously smiled at her. "I'm…sorry Krista. I couldn't dress up as you. You're too pretty…"

Immediately, Ymir grabbed Armin by the neck, pulling him into a giant noogie. "You hitting on my girlfriend? Huh Coconut head?!"

Immediately, Mikasa grabbed Ymir in an even harsher headlock. "Leave Armin alone. Now."

As the two women wrestled to the ground, Reiner hooting and hollering the entire time, the Special Operations Squad was having fun digging at their lone female member. Oluo snickered at Petra, who was currently hiding her face beneath her hood. "I can't believe that I got to see Petra's boobs! Best. Day. EVER! Although…I did almost need a magni-"

Petra quickly drew her sword. "Finish that sentence and I'll fucking END YOU!"

Oluo cowered away as Petra immediately re-hid her face. "Nobody told me the plan! I didn't think I'd need to wear a bra today!"

 _Armin was quick as he barked orders at the Special Operations Squad. "Okay! Everyone, Captain Levi included, you all need to hurry and change clothes! Quickly, we need that monster to think that we're all Eren!"_

 _Everyone immediately complied, jumping into the back on Jean's cart and hurriedly changing clothes. Petra, however, remained sitting on her horse, totally dumbfounded. "I have to change in front of all of you…I…"_

 _Levi, donning his Eren wig, turned to her. "This is no time to have reservations, hurry up and do it!"_

 _Petra swallowed a nervous lump in her throat. "Fine…"_

 _Immediately, as Petra removed her shirt, every man's eyes bugged out of their head. Reiner let out an extremely loud wolf-whistle, while Bertolt merely stared on, completely entranced._

 _The women, having just a smidge more shame amongst them, react much differently. Mikasa and Mina both looked away out of respect, Krista embarrassedly apologized whilst covering her eyes, and Sasha was confused as to what all the fuss was about. However, Ymir, being the massive pervert she was, stared directly at Petra's chest the entire time._

 _As for Captain Levi, he immediately got back on his horse, making sure not to look anybody in the eye for the rest of the formation._

Oluo snickered, immediately attempting to make another joke, only for Petra to boot him in the jaw, causing him to bite his tongue. Oluo, freaking out that his tongue was bleeding, immediately ran for the nearest first aid supplies.

After her comrade fled, Petra immediately began to cry into her knees. "I can't believe everyone's seen my goods! I was saving that for when I got married…"

Having broken out of Mikasa's iron grip, Ymir, uncharacteristically, sat next to Petra, pulling her into an understanding hug. "Listen. There's no reason to get upset. Just because a few people, your closest friends mind you, have seen what's under your shirt…it doesn't matter, okay?"

Petra sniffled, but nodded. Ymir giggled. "I mean…it's not like you lost your virginity. At least people seeing your boobs doesn't hurt the first time it happens."

Petra jumped, shocked at the implication. "Wait…THAT HURTS?!"

Ymir chuckled. "Well…Krista screamed when I took hers. Nearly woke up the entire boot camp! Everyone was convinced that a moaning ghost was haunting the quarry…"

Connie's eyes widened. "KRISTA?! You're the moaning ghost?!"

Krista, her face glowing pink, glared over at her girlfriend. "Dammit Ymir!"

Sasha chuckled as she ate a potato she had hidden away in her pocket. "Knew it!"

Finally, the talk, which somehow had shifted to everyone's sex lives, was interrupted by the timely intervention of Samus. "Well…that's more than I ever wanted to know about any of you…"

Everyone turned, shooting a nervous smile at their Squad Leader. Samus shook her head. "I'm off to talk to Erwin and the others. Take five, but stay alert…"

The bounty hunter glared up at the frozen Female Titan. "We don't know what that thing might do next…"

The 104th Trainees nodded, bringing Petra, Eld, and Gunther with them as they all headed off to find a shady spot to sit it. As they left, however, Samus grimaced. The bounty hunter reached into her jacket pocket, and pulled out a breached smoke canister. As Samus watched her people walk away, she stared at the blue stain on Krista's pants.

 _Samus called back to her subordinates as they all gathered in the Forest of Giant Trees. Having left ahead of the other Scouts, in order to set the trap for what Erwin was sure was going to be a huge problem heading their way, none of the young recruits had had a chance to be debriefed, so it was Samus' job to inform them of the plan along the way. "Okay guys, so here's what's up. Erwin is convinced that, alongside Eren, other humans capable of Titan transformation exist. And, given parallels between Eren and the Colossal Titan, I'm willing to give that idea some thought. So, we're out here to trap it when it's lured by. Any questions?"_

 _Everyone seemed dumbfounded, by generally understood what was tasked of them. As they all got into position, hiding away their supplies cart and getting into position, Samus took survey of the land. "Geez. This is a tight spot. If we're not careful…that thing could corner us pretty-"_

 _Samus' thoughts were cut off by a sudden burst of blue smoke behind her. Turning to it, she was horrified to see Krista attempting to muffle the smoke, so ass to not reveal their location. Samus jumped over to her, taking the smoke flare and muffling it with a towel. "Dammit Krista! What the Hell are you doing setting flares off?!"_

 _Krista shrugged. "I don't know what happened! My bag just suddenly exploded! It must have been a malfunction…or a dud…"_

 _Samus disgustedly sighed. "Forget it. Just get back into position…hopefully this didn't ruin anything…"_

Samus watched, a melancholy pit forming in her stomach as her subordinates went off for a break. Activating her Scan Visor and looking down at the can, unfortunately, revealed Samus' worst suspicions. The canister wasn't a dud, nor was it malfunctioning. It had been made to go off. Subtle tool marks around the seal reveal that some had tampered with it so that it would go off at a specified time.

Samus' stomach pit only deepened as her gaze went back and forth between the canister and the 104th Trainees. She had checked every piece of equipment before they had disembarked from the Karanese District. That could only mean one thing: one of this kids, these kids she had grown to love and trust…they were a traitor.

Samus crushed the canister in her grip as they finally managed to get out of her sight. "God Damn It…"

Meanwhile, standing on the higher tree branches, Erwin, Hanji, Mike, Nanaba, and Levi all were glaring at the Female Titan's frozen form. Its eyes were darting around within its icy prison, looking for a way to escape.

Levi was livid at the creature. Whilst his face betrayed no emotion, his body language made it clear that he wanted blood for blood. Erwin and Hanji was busy discussing logistics, the best way to exhume the human within from the Titan's neck. However, Levi chose to try for the easiest alternative. "I'll go get her out right now!"

The other commanding officers watched as Levi zipped up to the Female Titan, winding up and unleashing the full force of his blades on her neck. Doing a full lap around the monster, he landed back on the tree branch, next to Erwin. Erwin glanced down at Levi. "Any success?"

Levi snarled, standing up and displaying his shattered blades. Confused, he looked back up at the Female Titan. However, what he saw was confusing to every one of the veterans. The Female Titan's neck was now covered in some sort of hard crystalline structure. As the structure receded into the Female Titan's skin, Levi growled under his breath. "Dammit. It has defenses against our blades…"

Nanaba sighed. "Well…we could try firing a tow cable into the Titan's neck. It might hurt the person inside, but we could hook them and drag them out…"

Hanji smiled. "Great idea! Yo! Ready up another tow cable! We're dragging that sumbitch out!"

As her subordinates readied a cable, and Hanji readied her notebook to take notes, Erwin took in a deep breath. Sighing out, he called out an order. "Belay that!"

Confused, Levi, Hanji, Mike, and Nanaba all turned to Erwin. The Scouting Commander shook his head. "I do not want to take a chance of injuring the person within the Titan. We need to interrogate them for information, and we would be unable to do so if they were dead."

Reluctantly, the others nodded in agreement. Hanji slumped over in defeat. "Fine. Put the tow cable up guys!"

As Hanji sulked off into the corner, Samus joined the commanders up in the tree. Choosing to keep the breached smoke flare to herself for the time being, Samus addressed the elephant in the room. "What the Hell do we do now? Drag it back to the Walls? Kill it?"

Mike shook his head. "We want the person in that thing for interrogation. That armor of yours have anything inside of it that can through that things defenses?"

Samus rubbed her chin. "How hard is it?"

Nanaba responded by holding up Levi's shattered blades. Samus groaned. "Give me a minute. I'll try to think of something…non-lethal…"

Levi shook his head. "I'm sick of waiting! I'm going to get up there and get that bastard out right now!"

As Levi headed up to the Female Titan's frozen form, Mike shook his head. "This isn't going to end well. Samus, anything?"

Samus sighed, nodding her head. "I have one idea…I don't particularly enjoy it though…"

Standing on a lock of the frozen Titan's hair, Levi was furious. He tried and shattered another set of blades on the side of its face. Displeased with his failure, Levi stalked up to the Female Titan's ear and began whispering in its ear. "Listen closely. You might think that you're safe in there, that you're going to make it out of this, that you're just going to butcher my comrades and walk away from it. But, let me share something with you…I'm a butcher too. And, just as that Samus woman blew off your Titan limbs, I'm going to do the same to your human ones."

The Female Titan flinched at Levi's words. Levi continued, unperturbed. "We know, from observing Eren, that your kind your kind can heal from any injury in your human form. So…I'm going to make you feel the death of every last one of my people that you killed. I'm going to strap you down, and beat you nearly to death…again and again and again and AGAIN, until their families and fellows are satisfied that you've been punished for killing them. That's 64 people…it'll probably take a while. Don'tcha think?"

Despite being frozen solid, unable to move an inch, the Female Titan's eyes made it clear what had just happened. Levi, despite his small stature, had scared it. No, not just scared, Levi terrified that monster to its very core.

But, despite that, the Female Titan was not yet despairing. Despite Levi's talking at it, it knew that they had no way of penetrating its armor. For the moment, the Female Titan knew that it was safe.

"LEVI! MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!"

Watching at Levi whispered sinister threats in the Female Titan's ear, Samus prepared herself. She pulled the armor off of her left arm and peeled her Zero-Suit back, revealing her porcelain white skin to the world.

Turning to the others, Samus sighed. "I just want the four of you to know…this kind of hurt when I was young. So now, without my youth, and without my Fusion Suit to control the growth rate and energy consumption, this will probably…hurt like all Hell…"

Hanji was curious. "What is it?"

Samus sighed, and then she began. At first, the change wasn't noticeable, nothing was happening. But then, the skin on Samus' arm began to swell. Soon enough, three mounds began to develop on the side of her forearm. And then, mighty Samus Aran began to scream. "AGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHH! GODDAMN IT! IT HURTS WORSE THAN EVER!"

Mike and Nanaba ran up to Samus, wanting to help their ailing comrade. But, they stopped short that the sight of spikes growing from her forearm. Samus fell to her knees, gasping and crying in agony as the blades slowly grew from her skin, rending and tearing and stretching as they grew more and more. "AGH! OH! OH! OHMYGOD! OHMYGOD! GRAH! AGH! DAMMIT!"

As the spikes grew to their full-length, about half the length of Samus' body. Watching their formerly invincible friend, gasping and choking and struggling not to capsize to the ground, the Commanders of the Scouting Division could only stare in horror and silence.

Suddenly, Samus got to her feet. "Move."

Mike flinched. "What?"

Samus lifted her hand, revealing that a small sucker mouth had opened in her palm. "I SAID MOVE!"

Mike, Nanaba, and Erwin all quickly dodged as Samus ran past them, slamming her hand against the tree trunk. And then, to their horror, as Samus' arm pulsed, the tree leaves began to brown and fall from the plant.

Hanji, more intrigued than fearful, watched as Samus fed on the life-force of the tree. As the bounty hunter gasped and grunted, Hanji posed a flurry of questions. Eventually, Nanaba was able to squeak out and understandable one. "Samus…what the fuck are those?!"

Samus breathed in and breathed out. "My…my DNA is corrupted with…* **gak** *…Metroid DNA. I'm…uh…I'm able to access the claws that a Metroid would normally have growing out of it's body and use them as weapons…"

Samus slumped over, shivering and shaking. "…I…I usually wear a special Power Suit when I want to use these…one that controls the…* **hurk** *…the violent reaction my body has…"

Samus took a few moments to dry heave. Trying her best not to vomit whilst wearing her helmet. "But…desperate times and such…right?"

Nanaba stared wide-eyed. "Geez. Metroids are terrifying…"

Samus shook her head. "You don't know the half of it…Now, please move."

Nanaba complied, scooting out of Samus' way. And then, with a running start, Samus winding back her arm and leapt from the tree branch, calling out as she sailed towards the Female Titan. "LEVI! MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!"

Levi instantly complied, jumping out of the now bladed Samus' way. Samus, in pain, winced as she swung forward, closing her eyes in pain and striking in front of herself, not seeing what she hit.

Samus hit the ground with a thud, duck and rolling. After a few moments of painfully gasping on the floor, Samus got to her feet, only to find every Scout staring upwards in awe. Joining them, Samus looked up and saw the results of her work. But, whereas the rest of the Scouts' mouths were agape, Samus couldn't help but crack a smile. "Heh. Still…ugh…still got it…"

The Female Titan had no clue what had happened. As the cracked ice fell from its face, the monster could only stare on, gazing forward at all of the dumbfounded Scouts, as its vision halved and slipped away.

Half of the Female Titan's cranium slid from its head, falling to the ground with a splat. Looking closely, one could see it's brain and most of the inside of its mouth. Despite not being able to feel pain, or at the very least being unaffected by it, the Female Titan knew that things had just gotten significantly worse for it. Samus shakily stood, waving up at the others. "Sorry guys! I winced! I won't miss this time!"

The 104th and the Special Operations Squad stood in awe of the feat Samus had just committed. That monster, the one that had murdered so many hopeful Scouts, was showing fear for the first time, half of its head laying steaming on the ground. Connie and Sasha cheered their Squad Leader on, praising her for taking that monster down another peg. Meanwhile, in the background, Eren, Armin, Krista, Ymir, Reiner, Bertolt, and Mina all remained speechless. Mikasa smirked as what Samus had done. The young Asian woman even smirked at the sight of pure terror spreading across the Female Titan's face.

Bertolt swallowed a lump in his throat. "Man. Samus is incredible. She…she sliced that Titans head open like an orange…"

Reiner, despite his initial shock, broke out into a huge smile. "I know! It's incredible! With her on our side…NOTHING CAN STOP US! Bertolt, think about it buddy, she might be able to kill the Colossal Titan!"

Bertolt hesitantly nodded as Reiner cheered for Samus. "Uh-huh…"

But, suddenly, the miasma of unbridled enthusiasm was suddenly interrupted by a piercing roar. All of the gather Scouts looked on in confusion and terror as the Female Titan cried out, letting loose a shrill, terrified wail that could be heard from miles away.

As the other members of the 104th Trainees Squad shielded their ears, Sasha stared on in horror. "Oh my God…"

Samus shakily stood below the Female Titan, thankful that her helmet had a noise filter built into it. "What the Hell is that thing doing?"

Unfortunately, the bounty hunter got her answer upon observing the ground. Watching as the very dirt shook beneath her feet, Samus realized what was coming. "Oh shit. The cavalry…'

Mikasa brusquely grabbed Sasha by the shoulders, attempting to get her friend to calm down. "SASHA! SLOW DOWN! WHAT'S GOING ON!"

Sasha looked as if she was staring death in the face. "I've heard that kind of cry before! It's the cry that wounded animals make when their being hunted down. I've heard deer make it before! They make that noise when they're alone and scared and need help! We need to get to higher ground! NOW!"

Krista immediately tapped Mikasa's shoulder. "Mikasa?"

Mikasa turned to her petit compatriot. "What Krista?!"

Krista points behind Mikasa, and when Mikasa turned, she saw a sight that would turn anyone bone white. "Oh damn…"

The 104th Trainees Squad and the Special Operations Squad were barely able to make it to the tree tops in time to avoid the sudden, rampaging pack of Titans charging at the Female Titan.

Up in the tree tops, Samus, having been saved from being trampled by Levi, watched on in horror as, rather than help the Female Titan, the other Titans began to devour it. In a frenzy of hands and teeth, the still partially frozen Titan was quickly surrounded and engulfed by its own kind, savagely being eaten alive.

Watching on, no Scout had any words for what was happening. Mike cocked his head in confusion. "What the Hell did it do that for? They're killing it…"

Hanji, also completely confounded, watched as the Female Titan slowly disappeared. "She's escaping. The person inside that thing is ESCAPING!"

Nanaba's eyes widened. "What?!"

While Nanaba was shocked, Hanji, Levi, Mike, and Samus immediately sprang into action, tackling away at the advancing Titans and killing them off, slowly but surely. But, eventually, they began to become overwhelmed. Even with the other Scouts joining them, it was too late. The human within the Female Titan had fled, leaving nothing but a smoldering heap and a pile of melting ice in its place.

Samus smashed her fist against the tree trunk. "Son of a bitch!"

None of the other commanders were happy either. Mike and Nanaba were both zipping around, attempting to find the fleeing Female Titan. Levi was rallying his troops to kill off the frenzying Titans while Hanji attempted to protect her Titan capturing equipment. But Erwin, Erwin had an entirely different response: he laughed.

Samus watched as the Survey Corp Commander, for the first time since she had met him, laughed. Samus grunted at him. "What's so funny?! It got away!"

Erwin smiled and nodded. "Yes. Yes, it did. This operation is an absolute failure…"

Levi, accompanied by several injured Scouts, landed next to Erwin, grimacing at his off-putting smile. "What the Hell are you so happy about?!"

Erwin glanced up at Levi, and then back down at Samus. "I've found my answer."

Levi shook his head. "Samus. Come with me! This Operation is a failure. We need to retreat and regroup back to the Walls."

Shakily getting to her feet, Samus nodded, following Levi as he zipped away.

The 104th and the Special Operations Squad couldn't believe their eyes. In an instant, things shifted from victory to defeat. The Female Titan was gone, and now they were left with nothing but a rapid pack of Titans. Their stunned silence was broken by the arrival of Levi and Samus.

Jean turned to Samus, demanding answers. "What just happened?!"

Samus shook her head. "Doesn't matter right now. Jean, you look the most like Eren when dressed up, so get your wig back on. That monster is out there somewhere, and we've all but confirmed that it's after Eren. So, we need to try to throw it off the trail!"

Levi nodded. "Right. And you guys. Petra, Oluo, Eld, Gunther, you four are going to watch Eren. I'm going to go restock my ODM and then I'll join you. Samus, what are you going to do in all of this?"

Samus cocked her cannon, whilst suppressing the urge to vomit. "I'm going to get over my upset stomach and hunt that thing down. We've tried it Erwin's way, now we do it my way!"'

Levi nodded. "Fair enough. I'll endorse that. Kill it on sight!"

Samus nodded and leapt away. Levi turned to the others. "You all have your orders! Get going! We meet back up at the prearranged emergency coordinates!"

After barking his final orders, Levi left, off to go get more ODM supplies. Jean shook his head, putting on his wig. "I can't believe that I have to do this again!"

As the 104th Trainees Squad left, the Special Operations Squad all sighed. Oluo shook his head. "I can't believe this…C'mon Eren!"

Reluctantly, Eren followed. Not wanting for his friends to split off from one another, but obeying orders nonetheless.

As the 104th Trainees Squad zipped away, Jean was trepidacious. "What the Hell is going on today?! I thought we were headed to Shinganshina! Why are we cancelling just because that monster got away?! I would assume that-"

Mikasa came right up next to Jean. "We need to keep a cool head here. We're doing this for everyone's safety. I'd much rather be forced to go back and regroup rather than have us all die, wouldn't you agree?"

Jean remained silent. However, Reiner spoke up. "I couldn't agree more! Our lives are more important than-"

Suddenly, mid-sentence, Reiner was booted from the air by a swift kick to the face. The rest of the 104th stared in shock as a hooded figure, wearing a Survey Corps hood no less, tackled Reiner into a tree, pulling him into a choke-hold and holding him midair.

After a quick moment of silence, Reiner attempted to headbutt the assailant, only to be thrown down towards an approaching group of Titans. Quickly, Reiner's friends rushed to his aid, slaughtering all of the approaching Titans. But, by the time they were done, the hooded figure was out of sight.

Connie cried out. "Where did they go?! What just happened?!"

Mina scowled. "I don't see where they went! Sasha, you smell anything?!"

Sasha sniffed the air, looking for signs of where the hooded figure went. "Nothing. They're just…gone."

Jean walked over to a nearby tree, groaning at what he discovered. "Well guys…"

Jean turned to his friends and motioned to a dead Scout, stabbed to death with two of his own ODM blades. "That person clearly wasn't one of us…"

As the Special Operations Squad zipped through the Forest of Giant Trees, none of them were joking. None was cutting up, laughing, or even smiling. They were all deep in thought, thinking of one thing: how much they wished they knew more about what was going on. It was clear that Commander Erwin was hiding something, but it was also clear that he wasn't open to sharing. The only people allowed to know were his inner circle: Levi, Hanji, Mike, Nanaba, and, now, Samus.

Eld was first to speak. "Goddammit. I hate not knowing things…"

Petra nodded. "Me too. Something's wrong here guys. Somethings definitely wrong…"

Oluo groaned. "But, whatever it is…it doesn't appear like we're privileged enough to know what it is. That info seems to be exclusive to Erwin and our superiors…"

Eren glanced down. "But…Levi and Samus would tell us if something was seriously up. Right?"

Gunther, despite normally keeping out of these type of discussions, spoke up. "I'm not sure about Samus…but with Captain Levi…I couldn't be certain he'd tell us if Commander Erwin asked him not to."

Eren was confused. "What do you mean?"

Petra spoke up. "You see, Eren, Commander Erwin and his inner circle have known each other for a while. Truthfully, they're the most veteran Scouts currently serving. Each has at least five years in the field. They've earned the Commander's trust…"

Eren sighed. "So, the Commander doesn't trust us?"

Eld shook his head. "I don't think that's it. It's not that he doesn't trust us Eren…he just ONLY trusts us to do our part…"

Eren groaned. "That…sounds like something you'd say just to make yourself feel better about being left in the dark…"

An awkward silence followed. No one had anything to say because, deep down, they knew Eren was right.

Finally, Eld put on a brave face. "So, Eren, I'm proud of you and your friends…"

Eren glanced up at Eld. "Why?!"

Eld smiled down at Eren, chuckling under his breath. "Because, none of you pissed yourselves on your first expedition. That's better than some people, Petra and Oluo, can say!"

Petra and Oluo's eyes nearly shot out of their skulls. Oluo's jaw dropped, Petra's face glowed pink. Petra cried out. "Eld! C'mon! Haven't I been embarrassed enough today?!"

Oluo snarled at his comrade. "You should learn to keep your mouth shut! You can't be spreading around shit…ty rumors like that…heh…"

Eld shot Oluo a look of zero respect. "Drop it Oluo. At least Petra owned up to it. Your little siblings would be ashamed of you!"

Petra growled. "Well, your fiancé would be ashamed of you Eld! You shouldn't be talking about your friends like that. Especially in front of our new teammate! How will Eren ever respect us now?!"

Eld smiled at Petra. "Oh, come on! It's not like Eren thinks any less of us for that. He's basically family now. No different from your parents or Gunther's grandparents."

Eren cocked his eyebrow. "Petra, Gunther, you guys are, like, in your mid-twenties aren't you? You still live with your parents and grandparents?!"

Petra's face turned tomato red. "M-my parents told me they'd miss me if I moved out…"

Gunther glanced down from Eren, his cheeks blushing. "My grandparents need me. My Mom and Dad are gone and they can't take care of themselves…"

While Petra and Gunther looked away, both embarrassed, Eren did something unexpected. He began to laugh. "What are you guys some embarrassed about…I'd be living with my parents if they were still around. You guys are lucky…"

Petra and Gunther both glance dup at Eren, noting the wistful smile on his face. Grateful for her comrades understanding, Petra smiled. "You know, my parents love meeting my friends. If you want…you could join us for dinner when we get home…"

Gunther, cracking a huge smile for the first time since Eren had met him, nodded. "And…if the Captain will approve it, you could come meet my Grandma and Grandpa. They love having someone new to talk to."

Eren smiled. "That would be awesome guys. I'll bring Mikasa and Armin too."

Gunther nodded. "Great. It's a date!"

A moment passed. "By the way, Eren…"

Eren smiled down at his ally. "Yes Gunther?"

Gunther looked up at Eren, suddenly self-conscious. "I swear to God…On my first expedition, I did a lot of things…but the last thing I did was piss-"

It happened so suddenly. No one realized it at first. It was like a lightning strike, there and gone. But, the Special Operations Squad could only watch as Gunther's body crashed into the tree he had fire his ODM hooks into. And there it dangled, like a broken marionette.

And yet, even worse, 20-feet below Gunther's body, his severed head laid in the dirt. Gunther's eyes were wide with shock, his mouth still open as if to finish a sentence. But, that sentence was not meant to be: Gunther Schultz was dead.

In total shock, the Special Operations Squad didn't realize until too late that the true enemy was behind them. As the lightning struck behind them, they turned and came face to face with the murderer of so many of their comrades. The Female Titan was there, and it was ready for them this time.

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	19. Chapter 19: Losses

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 **Chapter 19 – Losses**

It was the lightning strike heard around the battlefield. Each and every Scout, from their position in the escape formation, turned their heads in terror at the sound of the might thunder crack. The 104th Trainees Squad instantly knew what that meant. Mikasa was the first of them to depart. "EREN!"

Quickly, she was followed by all of her comrades, Bertolt carrying the injured Reiner along the way.

Meanwhile, Levi growled under his breath in exasperation. "Goddammit!"

And then, before Erwin and Hanji could stop him, Levi was off. However, he wasn't the only battle-hardened warrior to instantaneously change plans. Samus, in her hunt for the Female Titan, was also head for the blast. The aging bounty hunter knew as well. That lightning strike, it happened about where Eren should've been by that point.

Elsewhere, Samus shook her head as she Grapple Beamed through the tree branches. "Goddammit!"

The Special Operations Squad and Eren were horrified at the sudden sight of the Female Titan. They all shivered in horror as the monster stared down at them, coldly and smugly, practically salivating at the sight of it's long sought out prey.

The Special Operations Squad all drew their swords, ready for battle. However, as Eren began to draw his blades, Petra admonished him. "No Eren! You leave! NOW!"

Eren was confused. He glanced at each of the three remaining squad-mates. "What are you guys talking about?! That bitch killed Gunther! We need to-"

Eld interrupted. "WE will avenge Gunther. Trust me on that! You, Eren, need to get to safety!"

Eren shook his head. "I won't just leave the three of you! We're comrades! We work together! I'll transform into my Titan form and we'll kill this monster as a group."

Oluo turned around, genuinely smiling at Eren for the first time. "Listen Titan-brat. We can handle this. We trust you more than anything, but...if we can kill this thing without endangering you. That's for the best. And, more importantly, we ARE your comrades. So, trust us. Okay?"

Trepidacious, but assured of his allies skills, Eren nodded and began to flee from the Female Titan. But, surprisingly, the monster didn't begin to give chase. Rather, it stayed put, leering at the three Scouts in front of it. Those three Scouts, Eld Jinn, Oluo Bozad, and Petra Ral, and turned and nodded at one another. The gentleness that filled their eyes whence addressing their younger friend was gone, now replaced by a cold determination only showed by the most hardened killers. Altogether, with their fallen friend, the Special Operations Squad had killed nearly 200 Titans, this thing was no different from any other.

Eld cleared his throat, drawing out his blade. And then, after taking one last sad look at Gunther's corpse, he cried out. "KILL THIS FUCKING BITCH!"

What happened next was truly a spectacle to behold. The Female Titan lunged at its prey, only for them all to dodge, leaving the monster to eat dirt.

As the Female Titan rose, ready to attack again, is was surprised. Petra, pulling out her smoke flare gun, shot it into the monsters teeth, clouding it's head in smoke. And then, she joined Oluo in slicing up all of the muscles and tendons in the Female Titan's arms, disabling them.

Eld, meanwhile, was aiming soley for the eyes. Perform various incredible feats of midair dexterity, Eld swiftly and brutal carved out the Female Titans eyes, leaving it blinded. And then, to add insult to injury, he swiftly flew behind and carved a notch into the creatures neck, letting it know that it was about to pay for what it did to his friend.

Flying back down, Eld regrouped with Oluo and Petra to survey the damage they had done. The two of them regrouped with him as digging all of the cartilage out of the Female Titans knee. It was clear to them, they had won. The monster, despite being formidable, was just like any other Titan. If you injured it too much, its body would be unable to cope and the repair process would be slowed. Wordlessly, they all nodded to one another, each knowing what to do next.

As he was zipping away, Eren looked back at his comrades, proud of them for their success in fighting that monster. For all the trouble it had given them, it was going to go out like any other Titan would, helpless against the sheer power of Humanities finest soldiers. Feeling confident, and hoping that Petra wouldn't yell at him afterwards for it, Eren stopped. He wanted to watch as his comrades killed that thing.

Oluo and Petra led the charge, plowing into the Female Titan's shoulders one last time, making sure the monsters arms stayed disabled. The smiled at Eld flew for the kill. This was it, the end.

Unfortunately, it was the end. As Eld, swords drawn, silently zipped around to the Female Titans nape, the monster suddenly turned to the Scouts, grabbing him into its teeth and biting down hard. Oluo and Petra, both hanging in front of the Female Titan, had no time to react as the creature spat Eld at them, knocking them both out of the air.

Oluo was able to recover, zipping to the branches of a nearby tree. However, Petra wasn't so lucky, being knocked to the ground by Eld's body.

Eren couldn't believe his eyes. The Female Titan had taken another one from him. Another friend lost. Eren shook his head. "No! NO!"

And then, defying direct orders, Eren activated his ODM and began flying his way back to the Female Titan. He wasn't going to let this happen!

On the ground, Petra groaned as she shakily sat up. Looking over at Eld, she gently shook his shoulder. "Eld! Eld, talk to me!"

However, to her horror, Petra suddenly noticed what was lying on the ground next to Eld. Namely, his legs and much of his lower torso. Eld Jinn was dead before he hit the ground. Petra gasped, tears welling up in her eyes.

Meanwhile, up in the tree branches, Oluo couldn't comprehend what had happened. The monster couldn't have healed that quickly. There was no way. And then, to his horror, he finally noticed. "It's shoulders aren't healing. Only it's eyes and legs are..."

Oluo clamped his hand over his mouth. "It can control its healing factor..."

With furious tears streaming down her face, Petra stood. "I-I'll...I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU FOR THIS!"

Petra charged, running at top speed, she leapt towards the Female Titan, pulling her ODM triggers and ready to go directly for the nape, only to fall flat on her face. Petra shakily sat up, her nose broken and bloodied. "What the Hell?!"

And then, to the young womans terror, she realizedwhat was wrong. The impact of hitting the ground as severed her gas lines. Her ODM gears was broken, and she was kneeling directly in front of the Female Titan, whose legs and eyes had finally finished healing.

Instantly, Petra's righteous tears of anger shifted to fearful sobbing. "No."

The Female Titan took a lumbering step towards her. "No..."

Another step. Petra cried out, getting to her feet and running away. "NO! I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

Oluo's eyes widened as Petra ran from the Female Titan. Springing into action, he cried out to his comrade. "PETRA! JUST MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!"

Unfortunately, Petra couldn't hear Oluo over the sound of her own sobbing. Oluo wasn't going to let this happen. He wasn't going to let her die too.

But, as Oluo attempted to rush to his friends aide, the Female Titan turned to him and smiled, a vicious, knowing sneer. And then it turned, launching itself towards Petra. The poor girl didn't have a second to react. She turned towards the Female Titan just in time to see the monsters heel overtaking her.

Oluo and Eren both flinched at the horrific sound that followed. A sickening, wet crunch as the Female Titan's foot collide with a nearby tree, splattering the trunk crimson red.

The Female Titan turned and smiled at Oluo. While Oluo, on the other hand, was stunned totally silent. Petra Ral was smashed against the tree trunk, chest first. Tears ran from her eyes whilst blood ran from her nose and mouth.

Oluo shook his head, falling limp midair. "No...Petra..."

Meanwhile, Eren was horrified. Looking at Eld and Petra's corpses, splattered across the ground had broken him. Enraged, the Titan boy cried out. A sad, empty wail echoed through the Forest of Giant Trees as Eren bit his hand.

Unaware of her enraged target coming up behind her, the Female Titan walked up to Oulo, ready to finish him. But, suddenly, Oluo sprang back to life, letting loose a mighty war-cry and shooting towards the Female Titan. The beast tried to strike at him, but he was to quick. Oluo spun midair, perfectly pulling off Levi's buzzsaw maneuver, slicing his way up the Female Titans arm. Reaching the nape of the neck, he let loose one last mighty roar. "THIS IS FOR PETRA!"

And then, Oluo swung forward, with all of his might, slashing away at the Female Titan's nape. As Oluo began to fall from the sky, he smiled. "I avenged you guys..."

But then, he noticed his blades. His swords, that he thought had gained revenge for his comrades senseless deaths, were both shattered in half, having broken off at the stem. Looking up at the Female Titan's neck, now covered in a hard crystal callus, Oluo could barely utter a sound. "That's not f-"

The Female Titan turned, using it's newly repaired arms to smash Oluo out of the air with its fist. The last member of the Special Operations Squad bounced across the ground like a stone, leaving a trail of gore in his wake.

The Female Titan smiled, happily taking in the slaughter it had just committed. Despite all of their training, all of their experience, all of their renown...the Special Operations Squad was nothing but a bump in the road.

However, the next challenge quickly made it way to the Female Titan, smashing it to the ground. The blond-haired terror looked up at its assailant, the angry and mouth-frothing Rogue Titan.

Eren was blind with rage in his Titan form. However, he wasn't going to lose himself. He quickly pulled out every fighting trick he knew: the one's Samus taught him, the one's the Special Operations Squad taught him, and the ones Annie taught him in boot camp, aqnd he went to work on that bitch.

Picking the Female Titan up by its throat, Eren tossed it away, not wanting to desecrate his friends bodies any further. And then, with a massive leap, Eren released a mighty drop kick into the Female Titan's chest.

The Female Titan stood up, reeling back for another punch, but was quickly met with a spin kick to the jaw. And then, before the monster could react, he headbutt it on the bridge of the nose, disorienting it.

Now, to finish it. With a quick leg sweep, Eren would knock the Female Titan onto its back, and then he'd tear that friend killer's nape out with its teeth. Luring the Female Titan into position, Eren shot his foot forward, hooking it under the Female Titans heel. And then, he pulled his foot forward to complete the sweep.

But, to Eren's surprise, his foot came to a stop. The Female Titan smirked and reversed the maneuver, planting Eren onto his back. Even in his Rogue Titan form, rendered unable to speak by his malformed Titan lips, Eren was rendered totally speechless. This monster had reversed his leg sweep, THE leg sweep.

Eren stared up at the Female Titan, confident that it had taken control. Eren could only stare as he thought. "It countered the leg sweep. No...it can't be...I..."

Eren teared up as the Female Titan, with its blonde framed face smirking in victory as its blue eyes menacingly glowed, raised its foot over his face. "It can't be you..."

And then the Female Titan stomped, shattering the Rogue Titan's skull into pieces. The Female Titan glowered, picking up the Rogue Titans body and tossing it a few hundred yards farther away from the remains of the Special Operations Squad. It didn't want anyone interrupting what came next.

Levi knew he had to hurry. That lightning strike wasn't a good sign and, although he had the utmost confidence in his Special Operations Squad would be able to handle the situation long enough for him to show up.

Suddenly, hearing a rustling approaching him, Levi drew his blades, only to be surprised by the sudden arrival of the 104th Trainees Squad. Levi sighed. "What are you shitty brat's doing here?!"

Ymir scoffed at him. "Probably the same thing you are, shorty!"

Krista, suddenly nervous, griped at her girlfriend. "Ymir. He's our Captain..."

Connie smiled. "Technically, Samus is our Captain!"

Levi shot Connie a glare, but shook his head. "I suppose you all saw that lightning strike as well?"

Mikasa nodded. "Yeah. And none of us think that Eren would have had a reason to transform..."

Suddenly, Samus interjected. "Funny. I thought the same thing."

Everyone turned to see their newly arrived ally. Sasha smiled. "Samus!"

Mina, however, was not so cheery. "Do you think there's a problem, Samus?"

Reiner chuckled. "C'mon Mina. The Special Operations Squad were with Eren. He'll be fine. Hell, I bet the Female Titan is already in pieces!"

Samus nodded. "And, even if it's not. They have the cavalry heading there way. Everything will be fine!"

Levi, Samus, and the 104th Trainees all stared, shocked into utter disbelief, at the slaughter that lay before them. Krista, Sasha, and Connie all fell to their knees, tears streaming from their eyes as they stared as the limp, dismembered bodies of the Special Operations Squad.

Mina, also crying her eyes out, had to hold Armin's hair as he vomited into a nearby bush. Meanwhile, Ymir, Reiner, Bertolt, and Mikasa took stock of their deceased friends bodies.

Jean couldn't bare to look, he couldn't stand the thought of even more people he cared for being gone. He turned to Samus. "Samus..."

But, Jean stopped mid-sentence, looking on in fear as Samus gripped the side of a giant tree to steady herself, and caused the trunk to split in twain in a showing of pure strength. However, Jean couldn't bring himself to to be afraid of Samus, rather, he pitied her.

Jean shook his head, his mouth dry as he watched Samus attempt to hide that fact that she was shaking from head to toe. Unable to think of what else to do, Jean placed his hand on Samus' back, attempting to comfort her as she silently sobbed to herself.

Finally, up in the tree branches, overseeing the entire pathetic display, Levi couldn't bring himself to see a word. Miserable memories of his past, of his former brother and sister were boiling to the surface, and he didn't like it.

Levi swallowed a lump in his throat and then gave each of his former subordinates one final look. Gunther, Eld, Petra, and Oluo. Levi hardened his gaze, not even flinching as he activated his ODM Gear and began to follow the trail of destruction the Female Titan had left in its wake.

Samus, noticing Levi's departure, stood up. Nodding back at Jean, Samus walked up to each member of the Special Operations Squad. There was no way Gunther could've survived his wounds, but Samus began to check on the other three. "Eld?"

Eld Jinn lay on the ground, bitten in two, and unresponsive. Samus swallowed a lump in her throat. "Oluo?"

Oluo was splattered across the forest floor, his bones shattered and broken, and his mouth empty. Impact with the dirt had caused him to bite clean through his tongue, severing it clean through. Samus shook her head and stood, walking over to the final body.

The 104th Trainees Squad all gathered together into a huddle. None of them wanted to believe that it was true. Krista sobbed into Ymir's shoulder. "How could this have happened?! They were..."

Contrary to her normal disposition, Ymir simply pulled Krista closer and ran her fingers through her beloveds hair. "Sh-sh-sh-shhhh...I know Krista. I know..."

Mikasa, however, was less focused on the Special Operations Squad and more focused on another, slightly overlooked subject. "We need to focus on finding Eren! They're dead. He's still missing!"

Reiner glared at Mikasa. "Would it kill you to learn some goddamned tact?! Our comrades...OUR FRIENDS, they're all dead! Eren can handle himself. We need to take care of them, they deserve that much..."

Mikasa remained silent. Bertolt reached out to her. "Mikasa. We should regroup before we try to act. For all we know-"

Mikasa pointed her sword at Bertolt's throat. "I know where you're going. So, take some advice Bertolt: DON'T."

Mikasa sneered at her friends. "You're all cowards. Willing to "step back" and "regroup" because you're all too terrified to continue on. Well, you can sit here..."

Mikasa brusquely turned from her friends, a dead gaze set in the direction Levi had gone. "I'm going to get my brother back!"

As Mikasa zipped away, off to hunt down the Female Titan and Eren, Samus knelt down to Petra's body, embedded into the side of the tree. "Petra?"

Sadly, Samus wiped the stray blood from Petra's face. "I'm so sorry..."

Eren was groggy as he woke up. He shook his head, attempting to wake himself up. When that failed, Eren attempted to rub his face, only to find himself unable to. Panicking, Eren soon came to realize his situation: he was tied up, in his human form, a scarf pulled tightly between his teeth, his legs bound together. He was even secured to the tree-branch to keep him from escaping by falling.

Eren called out, want to know what was going on. He pulled and yanked at his restraints, only to fail at every attempt. After finally tiring himself out, being left huffing and puffing in exhaustion, a familiar voice called out. "Eren?"

Eren's eyes widened. He shook his head, griping into his gag. He really didn't want to believe it. But then, it was staring him right in the face. "Are you feeling okay?"

Eren was furious, but he looked up. And, what he saw both infuriated and saddened him. "Mmph..."

It was Annie. Annie Leonhart, the one surviving member of the 104th Trainees Squad who chose not to join the Survey Corp. Her fair features, her crystal blue eyes, her golden blonde hair, her large, but delicate nose, all cast in the waning evening sun, gave off a sense of warmth, despite what her presense meant.

Annie, uncharacteristically, was smiling as she addressed Eren. "I'm so glad I didn't hurt you Eren. I was beginning to worry for a second there that my curb-stomp might've caused some kind of permanent damage..."

Annie wiped a stray trail of drool from Eren's jaw. "But, I knew you'd be okay. We Titan Shifters are a sturdy breed..."

And, at that, Eren snapped. Despite being restrained, despite his relationship with Annie, Eren wanted nothing more at that moment that to break her fucking neck. "MMMPH! MMMMPHHN! NNHPPH!"

Annie nodded at him, her cool demeanor returning. "You want me to take the gag out?"

Eren nodded, snatching at the rope around his wrists. "MMMMMMPH!"

Annie shook her head. "You'd just bite yourself. And then, I'd have to take you down again..."

Eren glared up at his former ally, her face display no emotion, but her eyes containing just a hint of sadness. "Listen Eren. I know that you're confused, maybe even upset..."

Eren growled at Annie, snatching away at his bindings, what to tear her apart. Annie sighed. "You're one of us Eren. Not one of these humans, but one of us. You should be with us and help us to fulfill our goals."

Eren's eyes widened. Annie smiled. "My partners and I...we were regretting the most having to kill you...all of you..."

Annie bit his bottom lip. "But...there's no avoiding it. It must be done to complete the mission. But, Eren, you're one of us! You can live through this. All you have to do is join us and...and we won't have to kill you..."

Eren couldn't believe his eyes or his ears. Annie had lost it. But, looking into her eyes, he could see something more...a since of sincerity. Whatever was going on, whatever she was being forced to do...she had reservations about it.

Annie reached out to him, coming closer and practically begging him to his face. "Please Eren...I don't want to kill _all_ of my friends..."

Suddenly, before Eren could respond, two sets of blades came flying through the air, piercing Annie through the side of the head, through the neck, through the side of her upper torso, and through her right leg, sending her careening off the side of the tree branch. As she fell, her eyes wide, lightning struck the young woman's body.

And, suddenly, from the cloud of smoke made by the lightning strike, the Female Titan reached out and grabbed Eren, snatching him from the tree and jamming him into her mouth. The Female Titan looked up at her assailants, annoyed at their intrusion, only to be sprayed by a volley off electric shots to the face.

Reeling back from the pain, the Female Titan looked up and instantly went from enraged to terrified. For, in front of her, it wasn't a large army of Scouts, nor was it a lone person. It was three people, two easily recognizable and one unfamiliar. Two of them stood there, completely emotionless. There jet black hair blew in the breeze as their eyes glowed faintly red. The third, with her long, silver hair and her piercing blue eyes was also rather unnerving, armed with merely a pistol and clad in electric blue.

Levi, Samus, and Mikasa all stood on the tree branch, staring down at the monster and traitor that stood before them. Levi and Samus were silent, both visibly trembling with rage. Mikasa stared down at her hated foe, her teeth clenched tight. "I'm going to FUCKING KILL YOU! Do you here me Annie?!"

The Female Titan took a trepidacious step back, terrified of the three people that stood before her. And then, to the monster's horror, they all charged her at once.

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	20. Chapter 20: Total Defeat

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 _A/N: Bad health week aside, I think that this might be the best one I've written yet. It's not been to good of a birthday week for me, hospitals and whatnot, so I'd really appreciate some feedback on this one to get the 'ol spirits back up. Either way, I hope you enjoy! :)_

 **Chapter 20: Total Defeat**

The Female Titan fearfully stumbled backwards as Levi, Mikasa, and Samus charged her. The three angels of death quickly surrounded her and got to work. Mikasa fearlessly zipped up to Annie's face, grabbing onto the armor on her cheek. And then, with all her strength, she stabbed her blade through the Female Titan's jaw muscles. "GIVE ME EREN! NOW!"

As much as Annie would've loved to have crushed her long time rival, she was too busy trying to avoid being killed by the two more substantial threats in front of her. Levi, the man who had just lost his most faithful subordinates to this beast, was silent and foreboding. Using his buzz-saw technique, he quickly sliced the muscles in both of the Female Titan's arms into shreds.

With her arms disabled, Annie had no way to counter Samus leaping up to her and smashing her to the ground with a single punch. Unlike the furious Levi or the Eren-obsessed Mikasa, Samus was more furious than anything. Unable to fully process the betrayal, Samus resorted to screaming out questions as she pummeled the Female Titan. "WHY?! Tell me why Annie!"

Samus seized the Female Titan by the leg and slammed the creatures entire bulk onto the forest floor. "Do you not remember Trost?! All of the people who gave their lives for humanities sake, FOR YOUR SAKE?!"

Mikasa, no longer able to hold on, was forced to leap from the Female Titan's face as Samus swung it around and tossed it into a tree, bulldozing it over.

Annie was terrified. She shakily sat up, her arms healing up. She stared a the blue-eyed hellion stalking up to her and realized who it was. That was Samus Aran, not wearing her armor, and yet, still just as strong. Annie retreated back as Samus marched up to her, she knew that, at this point, she was totally outmatched by the bounty hunter.

Suddenly, only adding onto Annie's troubles, Mikasa came soaring back up, along with Levi, and sliced her jaw muscles to pieces, causing it to fall open. In panic, Annie reached up and grabbed Eren as he was about to fall out, sealing him inside.

Rebounding off a tree, Mikasa shot back at Annie. "Give me Eren back right now!"

Deftly, the Female Titan dodged, ready to rear back and smack Mikasa from the air, only to have her eyes split open by Levi. And then, before she could adjust, Samus shot up from the ground and shoulder tackled Annie in the stomach, sending her sailing through the air and tumbling across the ground.

The Female Titan stood up, fear glazing over it's eyes. It stared down at Levi, Samus, and Mikasa, each of whom turned their own glare at her. And, seeing the writing on the wall, the Female Titan fled.

Surprised at the sudden flight, it took a moment for Levi, Samus, and Mikasa to take off after her. Mikasa, furious at the fact that Annie still had Eren, was much quicker in taking to the chase. "Get back here!"

Watching as the furious, focused young woman chased after the fleeing Titan, Levi turned to Samus. "Where the Hell is your fucking armor?!"

Samus sneered back at Levi. "It's busy. I can handle this without it though. So CHILL. OUT."

Levi and Samus glared at one another, but Samus eventually softened to her ally. "I'm sorry Levi. I should've went with them..."

Levi shook his head. "That's not what our main focus should be on right now. We need to save Eren. He's humanity's-"

Samus stopped mid-leap, stopping Levi alongside her. "Levi."

Levi frowned at her, but made sure not to make eye contact. "We need to focus on Eren. We don't have time to waste right now..."

Taking a moment, Samus swallowed a lump in her throat. "This conversation isn't over Levi. And this isn't a path you want to go down. Suppressing your emotions is only going to end up killing you..."

Levi grunted, and then wordlessly took off. Samus sadly watched as Levi left, shaking her head. "Trust me Levi. You don't want to hold these things in..."

But, Samus steeled herself. She had bigger concerns to deal with at the moment. Watching as Levi and Mikasa chased the Female Titan, Samus took aim. She crouched down. And the she shot herself forward. Zipping through the air like a missile, Samus thrust her arms forward and closed her eyes, bracing for impact.

Annie was terrified. She hadn't looked back since she had started running. She didn't want to. She knew that she wasn't in control here and that, if she hesitated even in the slightest, they would butcher her.

However, unfortunately for Annie, she hadn't counted on Samus rocketing herself forward. And, to her shock, Annie was suddenly ground at Samus collided with her lower back, splitting the Female Titan in twain.

With the Female Titan's inert body sprawled on the ground, Levi went to work. But, rather than going for the kill, he zipped down to the Female Titan's face, cutting its jaws open and fishing Eren out of its cheeks. Levi shook his head. "I'm not losing my entire Squad today. You hear me?"

Mikasa, watching from a nearby tree, nodded in approval. With Eren safe, comfortably passed out on Levi's shoulders, there was only one job left to do. Drawing a fresh set of blades, Mikasa glared down at the Female Titan's nape. The monster was passed out, unable to react to anything.

Mikasa cracked her neck. "Goodbye, Annie."

Mikasa leapt from the tree branch and zipped forward, ready to put the Female Titan to bed for good. However, suddenly, the Female Titan sprang back to life and swung it's fist around, ready to swat Mikasa from the air.

But, thankfully, Levi was quick to react. Leaping into the air, and throwing Eren at Mikasa, Levi blocked the Female Titan's strike with his foot, sending all three Scouts colliding into the ground.

Mikasa struggled to her knees, looking over at Levi, whose ankle was completely twisted backwards. However, the young Asian woman had no time to react, as the Female Titan, whose legs were slowly growing back, crawled forth. Mikasa glared up at Annie, drawing one of her blades. "I won't let you hurt them!"

The Female Titan's sliced jaw muscles made it to where it's face couldn't properly emote, but Mikasa was able to make out to look of sheer sadistic joy on the monsters face as it crawled forth. Ready to fight to the death, Mikasa placed her finger on her ODM's triggers, only for the Female Titan to suddenly be stunned by a blast from Samus' Paralyzer.

And then, not missing a beat, Samus leapt up to the Female Titan's face, booting the monster across the Forest and splattering it against a tree. Mikasa quickly turned heel and ran back to Eren and Levi. Smiling down at her unconscious brother, Mikasa teared up. "You're okay. Thank God you're okay..."

Samus knelt down next to Mikasa, staring down at Levi. "You okay Levi?"

The Captain sat up, wincing in pain. "I think I twisted my ankle...you're head is bleeding."

Mikasa looked over at Samus and gasped. Levi was right. Samus, after having split the Female Titan in half, had collided head first into a tree, and her forehead was currently gushing with crimson. "I'm aware..."

Samus shakily stood, grasping her hand over her wound. "Mikasa...grab Levi and Eren. I'm going to finish this and then..."

Samus stumbled, her vision fading. "And then we're going back to the Walls. This entire Expedition has been a fucking bust..."

Mikasa nodded and began to prepare Levi and Eren for travel as Samus made her way over to the inert form of the Female Titan.

Samus glared up at the Female Titan, groaning as she wiped blood from her eyes. "Well, at least this'll be easy..."

Samus climbed up to the Female Titan's shoulder and grasped onto it's ear. And then, with one mighty pull, Samus rended the monster's head from it's shoulder, tossing the steaming hunk of flesh to the ground and leaving Annie Leonhart's human head sticking out from the neck.

Pulling out her Paralyzer and aiming it right at Annie's forehead, Samus could only utter one question. "Why...? Seriously...WHY?!"

However, Annie didn't speak. She stared back at Samus, a mixture of terror and woe filling her eye. As the human behind the Female Titan cried her final tears, Samus shuddered. With her finger on the trigger, the aging bounty hunter thought of the Special Operations Squad, how they all looked laying there on the ground. And that gave Samus the strength. Switching her Paralyzer to the most lethal setting, Samus fired a single shot into Annie's head, between her eyes, and didn't look back.

The 104th Trainees Squad remained silent as they carefully wrapped their friend's corpses up to be transported back to the Wall. Jean shook his head as he carefully closed Gunther's eyes, placing the fallen Scouts severed head onto his body's chest and wrapping it up. "This could be us one day..."

Reiner frowned as he finished wrapped the ropes around another bundle of bodies. "Let's not think that way. This happened...due to something no one could have foreseen. But...at least we know now..."

Jean turned to Reiner, his teeth tightly clenched. "But do they know?! Do any of them know. These people were our friends Reiner! We can't look at their deaths as nothing more than something to learn from. They mattered! And now..."

Krista very quickly grasped Jean into a tight hug. "There's no need for us to fight amongst one another. The Special Operations Squad wouldn't want us to be at each others throats. They..."

Krista sniffled and began to sob on Jean's shoulder. Ymir came up to them both and, contrary to her normal personality, wrapped her arms around them. "Please...don't cry. Please Krista. And...you too Jean. We can mourn when we get home..."

As the 104th were all about to break, Levi and Samus emerged from the woods, accompanied by Mikasa, carrying Eren on her shoulders. Levi was limping, and Samus' head was gushing with blood, but neither said a word as they passed by. Mikasa, as well, remained silent, climbing into a cart with Eren and tending to her still unconscious brother.

Samus, after helping Levi onto his horse, walked back up to the 104th. "Where's my Power Suit?"

Reiner pointed to a nearby empty cart. "We stowed it in there. But, Samus, how is that going to he-"

Samus held up her hand. "I'm not in the mood to give exposition right now..."

As Samus walked away, a question echoed out behind her. Sasha, still terrified of a sudden attack, called out. "But, where's the Female Titan? What happened to it?"

Samus turned to the 104th, making sure she had a good view of each of their faces. "I ripped it's head off and shot the human inside in the face."

Taking stock of each of her subordinates reactions, Samus turned and walked to the cart her armor was laying in, falling flat on her face into it.

Jean, seeing his leader fall, walked over to the cart to check on her, only to be shocked at the pool of blood oozing from under the sea of hair that was covering her face. But, knowing how tough Samus was, Jean chose to leave her alone.

Mina called out to him. "Jean, we don't have room in the carts for the Special Operations Squad."

Jean shook his head. "Just...store them in here with Samus."

Erwin stared on at the mounds of corpses piled in the carts before him. He was right, a victory in and of itself, but at major cost. Zacharius and Nanaba were both morose at all of the people they had lost to the Female Titan. Hanji was upset at the loss of a new test subject. And Levi, despite his usual emotionless facade, refused to speak to anyone, silently suffering his twisted ankle.

Shaking his head, Erwin called all of his remaining troops attention. "This Expedition...due to heavy and insurmountable losses...is considered to be a failure..."

One of the Scouts exploded. "WHAT?! Are you kidding me?! My friends died for nothing?!"

Erwin glanced over at the younger Scout. Mike glared at him. "Be quiet! The Commander is speaking and-"

Erwin held up his hand, silencing Mike. "It's quite alright. He has every right to be angry..."

The Scouts clenched his teeth. "We didn't even find his body! You made us pull out of the Forest before we could retrieve it!"

Erwin shook his head. "I would much rather you be alive. The Titan's have quickly re-infested the Forest. We had no choice but to leave."

The Scout growled at Erwin. "That's bullshit and you know it!"

Nanaba sneered at the Scout. "Enough! What's done is done! Just get on your horse, we're leaving now!"

And, with that, every Scout mounted their horses and they began to make their way back to the Karanese district.

As the Scouts began their long ride back to the Walls, Samus faded back into consciousness. Rolling onto her back, Samus pressed her hand against the seeping wound on her forehead. She could feel it, warm stickiness that was enveloping her. She was probably coated completely red in her own blood.

Looking over at her reflection in her Power Suits visor, Samus frowned. And then, silently, tears began to stream down her face. It was just what she needed, another group of people whose deaths weighed down on her conscience. Now, they could join the likes of Higgs, and Adam Malkovich, and those bounty hunters...all people she could've saved if she was just a bit better. And all people who died because of her inability. And, once again, Samus was at that point where she was ready to curl up and just fade away.

She was nearing two centuries old. And she was steadily losing her ability to take this sort of thing on the chin.

But, as Samus began to give in to the despair that had so thoroughly anchored itself to her life, she heard an absolutely horrified scream. She sat up to see the looks of terror of the senior Scouts face. And then she turned to see what they were all staring at. It was single Scout, with a corpse hanging from the back of his horse, with a pack of ravenous Titans chasing after him.

Mike and Nanaba stared back in a mixture of anger and fear as that Scout, the same one that dared to question Erwin's authority, led an overwhelming amount of Titans towards the entirety of the Survey Corps.

Within the dripping maw of the lead Titan, the Scouts two allies hung, dead, in-between the teeth of the monster. The young guy was terrified, clearly regretting his choice at the Titans got closer and closer to him. As a giant foot landed right next to his horse, he let out a fearful yelp. And then, with one final terrified scream, he was trampled to death by the impending hoard.

As the other Scouts all prepared for a fight, ready to dive into death once more, Levi and Erwin both looked back at the cart they were pulling, Samus was struggling to stay upright. Seeing one of their main weapons struggling to even stay conscious, Levi and Erwin turned to each other. Levi was the first to speak. "We might have to lighten our load. I hate to say it...but we'd be faster without the corpse wagons. We can't handle a fight of that caliber right now, so we should order the others to release those carts if we-"

Samus growled as she lifted her Power Suits cannon arm. "FUCK. THAT."

And then, with a wave of her hand, Samus' Power Suit transferred her cannon directly to her left arm. Levi's eyes widened as Samus levied her cannon towards the Titans. He had finally figured out why she wasn't wearing her armor, someone else was!

Samus clenched her teeth. "No one else. Not today!"

As the Titans got right up to the fleeing Scouts, Samus shot them one final death glare. And then she released a Charge Shot so large, it briefly eclipsed the sun. Every Scouts present stared, eyes widened, as the smoke cleared. Where the Titan's once stood, their was nothing but a singed crater. Nothing remained.

Tired, Samus returned her cannon back to the suit and fell back, her eyes rolled back. As she was fading out, Levi landed next to Samus. "Are you okay?"

Samus didn't answer, she was well and truly out. Levi, concerned over Samus' health and whom it was that was currently occupying her armor, chose to remain by her until she woke up.

The Survey Corps made its way back to Wall Rose. Broken and defeated, with more than a fifth of their forces lost, the Scouts had been well and truly bested on the 57th Expedition.

Meanwhile, back in the Forest of Giant Trees, Annie Leonhart sat their, having landed on the ground after her Titan form had rotted away. She was pretty well protected from being spotted by a Titan. Which was good, because her brain was still quite far from healing all of the way.

As her brain slowly regrew, and the giant hole on the back of her head slowly sealed, Annie contemplated her next move. By the time she was fully healed, the Scouts would have made it back to the Walls. Her traitorous actions would've been made apparent. And, even though they were probably presuming her to be dead, her compatriots would be in trouble if they were caught.

Annie closed her eyes, she had to think of a new way to handle this.

"Hello."

Annie's eyes snapped open. And she was horrified at what she saw. In front of her, to her horror, was a giant, purple monstrosity. It's yellow eyes glared down at her as a smile cracked across its face. And then, it reached out for her.

If Annie had any sort of motor control ,she would have tried to flee. But, at the moment, all Annie Leonhart could do was watch as the beast seized her around her torso, pulling her right up to its face. "I've seen your work. I like it! I think...we can work together."

As the monster carried her off, Annie's eyes darted around, looking for any means of escape. But none was apparent. Having regained her ability to speak, she posed a single, terrified question. "What are you?"

The monster smiled and cackled. "My name is Ridley."

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	21. Chapter 21: The Expedition Fallout

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 **Chapter 21: The Expedition Fallout**

As the violent imagery flashed through her head, haunting her dreams, Samus Aran tossed and turned. The horrific screams of hundreds of people echoed through her head, people she both did and didn't know.

 _It all started with her parents, and then feel to Adam and Higgs, and then it ended with the Special Operations Squad. And, worst of all, their screams all seemed to combine into cohesive word: WEAK!_

 _They were calling her out, calling her out on her weakness and inability. They hated her for failing them. And, once Samus was significantly broken down, brought to her knees, the worst vision of all came forth. Virginia Aran, Rodney Aran, and Gray Voice came up to her. They remained silent, looking down on her with pure scorn, and then they vanished into columns of flame, quickly overtaken by a massive Ridley and an even more massive Kraid, both of whom proceeded to shriek in her face._

Samus awoke with a start, bolting up from her bed and smashing foreheads with Mina Carolina. The pig-tailed girl and Samus both fell back, their craniums both gushing crimson.

A few minutes later, Samus sat in silence as Mina checked the stitches on her head. "You were really messed up Samus. Hanji thought that it might takes weeks for you to wake up. It's amazing that it's only been half a day."

Samus groaned as Mina continued to talk. The bounty hunter rubbed the palms of her hands over her eyes. They felt red and puffy. Samus turned and look at Mina once she was done. "Mina. Your head is bleeding too..."

Mina smiled. "It's fine. I'll go get a bandage after I'm done here. Hanji wanted me to do some basic diagnostics on you."

Samus cracked her neck, much to Mina's chagrin, and then shot her an irritated glare. "What? Was Hanji to busy to come see me herself?"

Mina meekly nodded. "She's been busy ever since we got back. She's been trying to make the bodies more presentable..."

Samus sighed. "Presentable for what?"

Mina frowned. "For their families. The families are here to say their final goodbyes..."

As Mina left the room, Samus struggled to her feet, following the young woman out. And the sight she came upon made her heart sink. A sea of people, hundreds of them, weeping over their deceased families.

Looking upon the dead Scouts, however, a wistful smile came across Samus' face. The bodies that were collected to be brought back were in horrible condition. Shocked expressions of terror on top of their mangled forms. But now, disregarding a few visible stitches holding things together, they all looked so...peaceful. As if they had been claimed by old age rather than the predatory monsters that lurked outside the Walls. In a way...it was a relief to see them all in such a state.

Samus swallowed a lump in her throat, but turned to Mina. A hopeful smile growing on her lips. "This is amazing. Wh...where are they going to be interned once the viewings are over?"

Mina turned to Samus, confused. "Pardon?"

Samus sighed. "Sorry. I'll state is more simply: where are they all going to be buried?"

Mina groaned, solemnly shaking her head. "I don't want to upset you, ma'am...but they aren't going to be buried."

Samus' voice instantly hollowed out, her shoulders slumping down. "What?!"

Mina fell quiet, shaking her head. "As big as the land within the Walls is...it is in limited supply. So...in order to avoid running out of room to bury dead civilians, it's a law that, should you join the military, you sign away your right to a proper funeral."

Samus shook her head in disbelief. "You've gotta be kidding me..."

Mina sighed. "Instead...we all agree that, should our bodies be recovered from whatever might have killed us, we be cremated and our ashes scattered to the winds."

Tired and unable to process the injustice that such brave people didn't even get the dignity of a proper funeral, Samus lurched forward, leaning against the railing of the balcony that she and Mina stood upon. "How can anyone justify something like that?"

However, the bounty hunter, looking down upon the scene below her, couldn't help but smile at what she saw. Whilst the families of the dead Scouts mourned for their lost loved ones, the families of the living shed tears of pure joy that theirs had returned home.

A mother held her children, both of whom had joined the Survey Corps, close to her breast, squeezing them tight and thanking God that they were both still alive. It was one of the most heartwarming things Samus had seen since she had arrived on this planet.

Looking out over the sea of people Samus' heart ached. However, it sank when she saw a group of children running forth. It sank for one very specific reason, one that caused a bit of bile to well up in her throat. The kids that were running in, hope glimmering in their eyes...they all looked like Oluo.

These little ones were shortly followed by a rush of adults. A single mother whom also looked very much like Oluo. An elderly couple, the older gentleman struggling to walk. A fair-skinned blonde young woman with a golden band on her finger. And finally, a terrified-looking couple, both with faded strawberry-blonde hair.

Samus trembled as they made their way deeper and deeper into the base. She knew who they were...it was the Special Operations Squads family's.

Hidden away, in an office room as far from the grieving as he could get, Levi groaned to himself. His ankle was swelled to the size of a goddamn Titan's eyeball. He could barely even walk on it, requiring a crutch to go farther than 10-feet.

Levi was dreading his existence today. Erwin had told him that, should he not want to, he wouldn't have to face them, to tell them of his ultimate failure on this latest debacle of an expedition. But he owed them that much. They were his Squad...no, they were his friends. At the very least, Levi felt he should at least fess up to what he had allowed to happen to them.

And, even worse, he was kicking himslef for the cowardice he had showed the day prior.

 _As the Survey Corps returned to the Karanese District, brutalized and battered, they were met by the collective jeers of the crowd that had gather to greet them. Nothing hurt injured pride worse than being told by people to gutless to fight back that you were a waste of money._

 _Because, at the end of the days, that's all they saw the Survey Corps as. They were nothing more than a drain on these peoples taxes. And so, whenever and Expedition ended in failure, as many prior had, the beaten Scouts were submitted to the endless mockery of the people they were failing._

 _And, deep down inside, Levi kind of hated these people. He'd never let his face show it, he'd never say it, but part of Humanity's Greatest Soldier would leave these people to die if given the choice._

 _Of course, his better nature and the memories of all those he had lost would inevitably force him to protect them...but part of him would always hate the fact that he and his allies risked themselves for these fucking ingrates._

 _However, this bitterness was quickly abated. Taken down by a voice that Levi didn't want to hear. As a matter of fact, it was the last thing he wanted to hear, period._

 _The man calling out, looking for him specifically, he had only met once. It was a quick, almost jovial meeting. He merely asked that Levi take care of his daughter for him. To keep her safe out there._

 _Levi quickly ducked down, laying flat on his stomach, unseen, next to Samus' prostrated form. As the man, James Ral, cried out, looking for his daughter amongst the crowd of weary Scouts._

 _Levi looked over at Samus, he skin pale from blood loss, wishing that he was as unconscious as she was._

Unfortunately for Levi, the time to bite the bullet had come. He knew that they would be here soon, all of them. And that he would have to tell them. He hoped that, if he waited long enough, Hanji would at least make them presentable for a proper viewing. So, he waited in silence for her to tell him that they were ready.

This silence was quickly broken by the opening of his door. Levi opened one eye and sighed as the person walked in. Taking a deep breath, he greeted them. "Hey Eren."

Eren quickly saluted. "Hello Captain. I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you."

Levi shook his head. "Of course not. What's that in your hands?"

Eren glanced down at the tray in his hand. "Well, sir, Lieutenant Nanaba handed this to me and asked me to bring it to you. I...I think it might be tea."

Eren placed the tray onto Levi's desk, and then took as seat as his Captain made a cup of it. Eventually, Eren mustered the nerve to speak. "Captain? May I ask some advice?"

Levi shook his head. "Sorry, I'm not going to be that great for advice right now. Sorry to disappoint..."

Levi took an awkward sip of his tea as Eren just sat there, staring at him. Eventually, Levi was able to think of something to say. "How are you feeling? Hanji had to give you CPR for quite a while after we brought you back...you nearly drowned in saliva."

Eren took a deep breath. "They died because of me. I...shouldn't have listened to them. I should've gone with my gut and helped them out. They might've been upset with me for not trusting them...but, at least, Petra, Oluo, and Eld would still be alive..."

Levi massaged his ankle, the swelling hadn't gone down at all. "You made a choice Eren. I told you, while we were being pursued, to do what you felt was right. You must have felt it was right to trust in the three of them to get the job done."

Eren shook his head, tears building in his eyes. "But I didn't! I didn't think they'd be able to handle it by themselves. I didn't want to leave them Captain! But..."

Levi finished his tea. "But...you wanted to. Right?"

Eren nodded, shuddering and attempting to choke back sobs. Levi tented his fingers in front of his face. "I'm not going to sugar coat things. You're a fucking idiot for leaving them there. Even if they told you to leave...you should've refused and stayed with your comrades. If you were there...you could've made a a difference."

Eren ran his hands through his hair. "I KNOW THAT! I could've helped, I could've saved them, I could've-"

Levi interrupted. "Been killed. Or captured. Either way, they would've been joining you."

Eren looked up, confused. "What?!"

Levi sighed. "I don't want to go into details about it. But I've been here Eren. I've been in this position. Scared and confused and angry and full of self-loathing. And, at the end of the day, no one assuring me that there was nothing I could've done has been able to convince me of it...because I believe, deep down, I could have saved them if I was there. And...I'm going to die still blaming myself for what happened."

Eren's shoulders slumped. Levi glared at him and finished. "So...I'm not going to patronize you with reassurances that there was nothing you could've done if you had stayed. Because there's no way of knowing. All I'm going to encourage you to do is carry on and avenge them against every single Titan that you come across."

Eren stared at Levi, wide-eyed. "You...are much more talkative than normal Captain."

Levi shook his head, clearly annoyed. "I hate it when people say that. I'm plenty talkative to people that I like. Just ask Erwin and Hanji."

Eren nodded and sadly smiled. "Were you this talkative with them?"

Levi grimaced and leaned back in his chair. "I went to Petra's house with her two months ago. It was her birthday. Her parent's were gone on business...so we just ate cake and talked for a few hours and then...Yes, Eren, I was this talkative with them..."

Suddenly, to Levi's annoyance, his door opened again. He glared at it, ready to chew out whoever was on the other side, until he saw Samus. The bounty hunter looked terrible, her sunken eyes, dull silver hair, and tired face were all held together by the sadness that was radiating from her.

Nodding at her, Levi made it clear that he knew why she was coming to see him. It was time.

Struggling to his feet and grabbing his crutch, Levi turned to Eren. "Come with me to the morgue. Hanji might need help moving their bodies out..."

As Eren nodded, saluting Samus and leaving, Levi turned to the bounty hunter. "Would you be able to help us. Is your head okay?"

Samus nodded. "My head is fine. But...I have something that I need to go do. I'll meet you down their in a few minutes."

Levi nodded and wordlessly left. Samus, all alone, prayed to herself. "Please let it have worked..."

Eren, Levi, and Hanji were all morose as each pushed a cart out to the main area. The gathered families all respectfully moved out of the way, bowing their heads to the fallen Scouts hidden beneath the sheets.

As they got closer and closer, it was clear to see the dawning looks of terror on the faces of their family members. Once they came up to them, the Special Operations Squad's family member looked over at Levi.

The short Captain opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He merely shook his head and removed the sheets, revealing Gunther, Eld, and Oluo to their family members.

On the bright side, the corpses looked good. Hanji had worked her magic and made them look clean, proper, and peaceful for their loved ones. The grieving, despite only lasting a few minutes, seemed to take hours. Oluo's siblings looked plaintively at his weeping mother. Eld's fiancee, totally broken, removed his wedding band, placing it on her finger and saying a prayer. Gunther's grandparents, however, were utterly speechless. His grandmother softly held his face, tracing her fingers over the stitches that held his neck in place. His grandfather shook his head, damning whatever God was looking down on them for not only taking his son, but now his grandson too.

Finally, after the final goodbyes, Gunther, Eld, and Oluo's families left. Levi tried to apologize to them, but with met with nothing but apathy and scorn. Oluo and Gunther's families each took their Survey Corps badges from Levi, but Eld's fiancee refused, slapping the short Captain across the face for daring to even talk to her.

And then, it was down to what Levi dreaded the most. He turned to Petra's family. Her poor, terrified parents and stood in silence, waiting for them to talk. Finally, Petra's mother spoke. "You didn't wheel her body out. Please..."

She let loose a small sob. "Please tell me that means that she's alive. Please! Please tell me my baby girl isn't dead..."

Levi took a deep breath, remembering the horrific sight of Petra's body crushed against that tree. "Unfortunately...Petra Ral is now considered MIA. We...we don't know where she is."

Mr. and Mrs. Ral both gasped, the mother shuddering in place. The father, however, was quick to question. "What the Hell does that mean?! Is she alive or not?!"

Levi, despite knowing the truth, couldn't bring himself to tell them. The last he saw of Petra, she was dead. But, somehow, between the Forest of Giant Trees and the Walls, Petra's body had been lost. No one knew where it had disappeared to.

Nervously, Levi turned to Petra's parents and prepared to deliver the grim news, only to be cut off by her father. "Y...you don't need to say it. She told me...before her first Expedition a year ago. She told me that this might happen...she never even got the chance to get married. My baby..."

Levi, Hanji, and Eren all watched on, in pity, as Petra's parents both began to break down. They had lost everything. But then Samus came in. "There's no need to cry."

Petra's mother glared at the bounty hunter, snapping in her face. "Why shouldn't we?! You bastards got our little girl killed out there! I hate all of you!"

Samus nodded. "I can't say, after all of that I saw happen out there, that we don't deserve all of your hate. But...perhaps you should put on a brave face for this."

Everyone watched, confused, as Samus pulled forth her Power Suit. Grabbing it by the helmet, she issued a command. "Terminate Recovery Mode."

And then, in a flash of light, Samus' Power Suit disappeared, leaving the unconscious form of Petra Ral in it's place. Levi's eyes widened in shock. Hanji and Eren both smiled wide. Petra's parent remained silent.

Slowly, the two of them approached Samus, who was cradling their daughter in her arms. Her mother touched Petra's peaceful, sleeping face. "My little girl. Petra..."

Her mother shook her. "Petra. Please baby, wake up!"

Petra remained silent, unmoving. Her mother tried again. "Petra!"

No response.

The Ral parents both looked up at Samus. Her father was distraught. "I can see that she's breathing. I can see her chest rising and falling! Why won't she wake up?!"

All eyes fell on Samus. The bounty hunter shifted, uncomfortably, in place. "I'm...I'm sorry. I tried to help her..."

 _Samus sadly got up from Petra's crushed, unmoving form. Squashed against a tree, with tears streaming down from her eyes, Samus couldn't face her. If she had been just a bit quicker, if Samus had been just a few steps quicker, she could've saved them._

 _But, it was too late. Now, all Samus could do was seek revenge for her friends. Glancing over at the grieving 104_ _th_ _Trainees Squad, Samus shook her head. She couldn't demand their help like this. She would have to take care of it herself._

 _But, as Samus began to walk away, ready to vaporize that monster to kingdom come, she heared the tiniest of voices behind her. "Please...help me..."_

 _Samus turned around, and what she saw gave her a jolt. Petra, despite being totally crushed, had managed to tip herself over. And she was looking directly at Samus. "Please help me...I don't...want to die like this..."_

 _Without a second thought, Samus ran up to Petra, removing her Power Suit. "Don't worry Petra. I won't let you die! I swear...everything will be alright. Okay?"_

 _Petra couldn't bring herself to speak, coughing up a clot of blood. Samus began to panic. "Please. Stay with me! I'll..."_

 _Samus gently grabbed Petra into her arms and placed her helmet over the injured Scouts head. The Power Suit, however, was less than accepting. "_ _ **Warning. Suit occupant does not match the DNA signature of Samus Aran. Power Suit functions will now be terminated.**_ _"_

 _Samus placed her hand over the Power Suits visor. "Override. Activate Recovery Mode. NOW!"_

 _The Suit complied, instantly forming over Petra's body and attempting to roll her into a Morph Ball. Samus shook her head. "No! Override Morph Ball functionality. Occupant has zero Chozo DNA."_

 _Finally, the Power Suit echoed one last warning. "_ _ **Warning. Without activation of Morph Ball. Recovery Mode may fail in several key areas. Subject of healing may not properly adjust.**_ _"_

 _Samus, enraged and impatient, slammed her fist down on the Power Suits chest. "I DON'T CARE! JUST SAVE HER LIFE GOD DAMMIT!"_

 _Samus picked up her armor, running over to the 104_ _th_ _and giving it to Sasha and Connie. "Watch my armor! Go and regroup with the rest of the Scouts. Have Erwin send a search party back for the Special Operations Squads bodies! I'm going to go retrieve Eren, Mikasa, and Levi!"_

 _As Samus sprinted off in the direction of the Female Titan, Bertolt yelled after her. "Samus! Please, wait! Don't go!"_

 _But, it was too late. With Petra healing away inside of her Power Suit, Samus had one goal on her mind: revenge._

Samus shook her head. "I tried my best to fix her. But...my Power Suit was unable to fully activate it's feature to help her. I've been trying to wake her up for the past 10 minutes. But...she's unresponsive. I'm sorry. But, I mean, at least she's alive."

Petra's father had a huge smile on his face, taking his daughter from Samus and cradling her in his arms. However, her mother was significantly less happy. "Saved her?! YOU THINK YOU SAVED HER?! Look at her! She's nothing more than a vegetable! What kind of life is that?!"

Hanji frowned. "Ma'am. Please. At least your daughter isn't dead. That's far better than many can say about their-"

Abigail Ral glared at Hanji, reeling back and slapping the Survey Corps scientist across her face. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?! _So what if my little girl is mentally dead, at least she's not physically dead_ ; is that what you're trying to imply?!"

Hanji took a step back, clutching her cheek. Petra' mom shot them all one last icy glare. "I hope that you all get whats coming to you for this. You people don't deserve to be alive. Not for what you've all done..."

As Abigail Ral stormed away, tears streaming down her cheeks, James Ral stood their, smiling. "I came here thinking that I had lost her. The light of my life..."

He gently brushed Petra's bangs out of her eyes, planting a kiss on her forehead. And then, he looked up at Samus, swallowing a lump in his throat. "Thank you so much! I owe you more than you could ever imagine."

As Petra's parent left, Samus turned to Levi, Eren, and Hanji. She nodded at them. And then, she wordlessly left them standing there.

Later in the evening, Samus was by herself. She laid there, atop the castle that served as the Survey Corps base, and stared up at the stars. However, tonight wasn't a night for nostalgia. As Samus laid their, chugging hard liquor straight from the bottle, she contemplated everything that she had observed during the 57th Expedition.

Samus was happy, for once, to be all alone. The rest of the Scouts had gone off to celebrate having survived and to mourn their fallen. Samus was grateful that they weren't around. If they were...she wouldn't want to contemplate which of them might be traitors.

 _Many thoughts ran through Samus' head. The first thing that came to mind was the Female Titan and it's true identity: Annie Leonhart. From what Samus had seen of Annie, she wouldn't have expected her to be so willing to kill her fellow man. She didn't really seem interested in killing anything, remaining coolly detached even as she helped kill off Titan's in Trost. However, the most confusing thing about all of this was how sharply Annie's personality as the Female Titan collided with her personality as a person. The person Annie Leonhart risked her life in Trost to save her fellow Trainees. The Female Titan willingly murdered hundreds of people. Not to mention, when Annie could've easily killed Eren, she instead tried to turn him to her side._

 _But, something was bothering Samus even more. The Smoke Canister. She knew, SHE KNEW, that she had personally inspected every piece of equipment that her squad was carrying before they had left. This, combined with the fact that it was clearly tooled open, told Samus one thing quite clearly: someone in her squad had purposefully sabotaged it. And, even worse, she was pretty sure she knew who did it._

 _After killing Annie Leonhart, Samus made sure that she told the 104th that she did it. But, at the same time, she purposefully left out Annie's name. And, whilst she noticed several sighs of relief at the news that the monster was dead, Samus noticed something else: trepidation. Three people in the 104th, despite attempting to outwardly relieved, were also exhibiting fear at hearing what Samus had done. Furthermore, two of those people, in addition to showing fear, also displayed just the slightest hint of sadness over the human whose name she hadn't mentioned. These people, two people that she had grown to trust..._

"GODDAMMIT!"

Samus, slightly tipsy and very much enraged pulled back and threw her bottle across the courtyard. Samus breathed and grunted and snarled to herself, right up until she heard her precious alcohol shatter on the ground in the distance.

Samus, feeling totally embarrassed, stood up and began to stomp her way back to the door into the castle. "Son of a bitch..."

However, as Samus prepared to retreat back into the castle, she was met by Hanji, Mike, Nanaba, and Levi. She stared at the four of them, and they stared back at her. Samus, glanced down at the bag slung over Nanaba's shoulder. "What's in the bag, Tia?"

Nanaba flinched, trying to eek out an explanation, only to fumble her words. Eventually, Hanji interrupted her. "How about this Samus...I'll give you one of our bottles of alcohol...and you don't tell Erwin that we stole all of this from the Military Police supply cart. Deal?"

Samus nodded, greedily taking the liquor and drinking down a big gulp of it. "Deal."

It didn't take long, maybe five or ten minutes, until Samus and the Top 4 officers of the Survey Corps were well and truly sloshed out of their minds. Levi remained grumpy and silent, but, soon enough, Samus was leading Mike, Nanaba, and Hanji in a rousing drinking song.

 _And the Fed-er-ation didn't want me!_

 _And the M-P didn't want me!_

 _And the Garr-i-son didn't want me!_

 _I'm lonely soon-to-be-dead human!_

Nanaba smiled and cheered, thrusting her free hand into the air. "Woo! Who hates their fucking life?!"

Samus, Mike, and Hanji all raised their hands into the air. "I do!"

Levi rolled over, his cheeks glowing bright pink. "You stupid fuckers are too loud..."

Samus rolled onto her stomach, groaning. "Ugh...so, who here has ever been in a relationship?"

Hanji giggled. "Mike and Nanaba used to date. But then they got into a huge fight with one another..."

Samus shot a side-eye at the two Scout commanders. "Izat true?"

Mike grunted. "No..."

Nanaba hiccuped. "Yes. He kept insisting that he wanted me to drop out from the Survey Corps. Didn't want me to die or some shit. He even threatened to make Erwin discharge me...so I through his ass outta my house!"

Mike sneered. "It was our house. And what's so bad about me not wanting you to die...?"

Nanaba giggled, drunk off her ass. "Nothing. I love you for caring so much. But...I wouldn't want to be left sitting here, waiting for you to return every fucking time the Survey Corps left...I don't want you to die without me their to die with you..."

Mike forwned. "Well if you love me so much...then why break us up? I don' get it..."

Nanaba grabbed Mike into a hug. "I keep telling you. I don't want our friendship to sour over nothing...I broke us up so that we wouldn't start resenting each other..."

Samus smiled. "Well...at least you guys still love each other. I have this ex...he was a nice, fun guy. But his ego was through the roof. He could never find it in himself to put us above his own personal glory...so I dumped his ass! Left him sitting in the house we bought together and...now I'm fucking doing this with my life..."

Samus sighed. "God. I miss him...Guys?"

Samus looked over to see that Mike and Nanaba had passed out in one another's arms. Hanji looked Samus in the eye and grinned. "They're going to wake up tomorrow and insist that their relationship is still professional...I hope we're able to make it to where they can be together again. They were so cute together..."

Hanji frowned as her eyes began to drift shut. "Erwin sent us a message from Wall Sina...he says that Zackley and the MP are pissed an' that they want you and Eren there tomorrow. So...we're going to be transporting you guys there first thing in the morning..."

Samus grunted. "That sucks..."

Hanji yawned. "Yeah. But...it sucks especially for you. Nile's, the leader of the MP, you remember him...uh...he said that his men won't allow you into Wall Sina unless you're properly restrained. So...we're gonna have to tie you up tomorrow..."

Samus grumbled. "Dammit."

Hanji laughed. "Oh well. Don't be so upset. I bet you'll...look pretty damn cute all...tied up..."

And, with that, Hanji Zoe was asleep, passed out in her own drunkenness. As Samus, herself, was beginning to fade out, she shifted her attention to Levi. The short Survey Corps Captain approached his fellow officers, brandishing blankets, and covered each of them up. Handing the final sheet to Samus, the Captain began to limp his way back to the door into the castle.

Samus smiled at him. "Thank you...Levi..."

As Samus' eyes fluttered shut, the final thing she saw was Levi turning and looking right back at her. "No...thank you. Thank you so much, Samus."

 _Alone again, in her uneasy dreams, Samus looked out upon her sea of allies. People she loved, both past and present, mingling and happily talking with one another. It truly warmed Samus on the inside._

 _However, she couldn't shake this uneasy feeling pitting in her stomach. As she stared out upon all of her allies, and picked out the three faces that she suspected, the world seemed less vibrant. As her dreams slowly faded to gray, Samus knew that these next few days wouldn't be easy. As a matter of fact, she was positive that no day on this planet would compare to how stressful the next few would be._

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	22. Chapter 22: The Re-Trial Pt 1

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 _A/N: Sorry about the long wait for a new Chapter. Writer's block and some personal family stuff has been keeping me from getting to it. Also, I'm sorry that this one is so short. The next one will be back at the normal length that I have been striving for. Thank you for reading! :)_

 **Chapter 22: The Re-Trial, Pt. 1**

Samus grumbled to herself as she sat there, atop the wooden pallet constructed to carry her. Her hands were cast in heavy chains, she was held down by dire leather straps and various ropes, and she was forced into a state of major discomfort as Hanji and Nanaba bolted down her legs. "Damn. This is really, REALLY annoying."

Hanji frowned. Delicately, she stroked her hand over Samus' ankle. "I know. I'm sorry. We don't want to do this, but Nile convinced Zackley to edict that you be restrained."

Nanaba pulled the final strap tight and sighed. "Please don't hate us for this."

Samus, with some difficulty, shrugged. "I don't blame you guys. But, just so you're aware...I could bust out of this in a second if I wanted to."

Nanaba giggled. "We know. We know."

Sighing, Mike Zacharius walked up to the three women. "Okay. We've prepared Eren for transport. You guys need help loading her into the carriage?"

Hanji stood up, stretching her back. "Yes please. This rig is freaking heavy..."

Mike nodded and he and Nanaba got in front of Samus, hefting the front of her restraint platform off of the ground. "Hanji, you lift the back."

Hanji nodded, going behind Samus and lifting the back of the rig. "Okay guys. Heave!"

Nanaba and Samus sighed as they shoved Samus into the carriage, closing the doors and applying the padlock to them. As the three walked away, Samus heard Mike and Nanaba say something to each other, something that confirmed all of her fears. She heard Nanaba sigh. "Man. This trial is going to be a fucking shit-show..."

Samus slumped over, her bangs covering her face. "Great..."

After a few moments of silence, Samus accepted that her fate was sealed, so she began to think of what was going to happen next. "After they banish me...I need to find my Gunship."

But, that was the million dollar question: Where the Hell was her Gunship?

Going by Eren's description of the day Shinganshina fell, rubble from Ridley's ship falling from the sky, it seemed most likely that her ship would have fallen somewhere around there. So, once these people decided to throw her out of Wall Rose, she would have to go find that. Thinking on this, Samus smiled. "Perfect. I can head there...find my ship...and then we can leave this place..."

Samus grinned from ear-to-ear at the thought. She'd leave with her ship. And then she'd come back with a fleet. And then, for the sake of the friends she had made here, they'd wipe every single Titan from the face of the planet. And then they'd do the same to Ridley.

As Samus had fun with her thoughts, thinking of how she could still help her friends even if she was banished, the door to the carriage was opened and a shackled Eren was loaded in. And then, very quickly, the door was closed and tightly locked.

Eren, looking quite miserable, glanced up at Samus. Frowning, he quietly spoke to her. "Your Power Suit is in a box tied to the top of the carriage. From what I heard...the Commander of the MP is going to try and push to keep it after they banish you..."

Samus snorted, trying to stifled back an out-loud chortle. "Well, good luck with that. Even if, and this is a NON-EXISTENT if, they were to somehow keep my Power Suit, they couldn't wear it. The suit is locked to my DNA. It won't function for anyone else..."

Suddenly, Eren and Samus were both shocked a the carriage lurched forward. Carrying them to their eventual fate. Eren sighed out his nose. "If that armor is locked to you and you alone...then how did it work to heal Petra?"

Samus frowned. "That was a different situation. Petra would've died there if I hadn't done something. So, in order to save her, I performed a manual override. Unfortunately, it might've hurt as much as it helped. The armor seems to have been rejecting her as it was fixing her. Thus, when she came out of it, it rendered her comatose."

Eren shifted uncomfortably. "Will she ever wake up?"

Samus glanced downward. "Eventually...maybe...hopefully..."

After a few awkward moments of silence, Samus looked up at Eren and smiled. "Scared?"

Eren flinched. "What?!"

Samus asked again, playfully jabbing at the Titan-boy. "I asked if you're scared? Do you need a hug or something?"

Eren frowned. "No. I don't need a hug. It's just...when we got back from the Expedition, I was awake as we all went back to the base. And...they tore us apart Samus..."

Samus cocked an eyebrow. "They attacked you?"

Eren shook his head. "No. Not physically. But...they hate us Samus. The entire way home, they all on-looked and tore us apart. We...we failed them Samus. And now, when we get to the trial...they're going to roast us. And...we might deserve it..."

Samus groaned and shook her head. "You're wrong, Eren!"

Eren fell quiet and Samus glared directly into his eyes. "You did everything you could out their. And so did I. And so did nearly everyone else who nearly met their end out there! There's only one person at fault here..."

Eren cocked an eyebrow. "But, you killed Annie..."

Samus grimaced and her eyes fell to the floor. "I'm not talking about Annie Leonhart..."

Eren was confused. "Then who are you talking about?!"

Samus gasped. She didn't mean to vocalize that thought. "Oh...nothing...I was just talking to myself about something..."

Eren still looked totally lost. Samus coughed and then quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, my point in all of this is to assure you that everything will be fine. This isn't the first trial I've been through in my life!"

Eren cocked his head. "I think I remember you mentioning that you've been arrested before."

Samus nodded. "Yeah...I did."

Eren frowned. "Would it be rude to ask you if you'd like to talk about it? This is going to be a long ride..."

Samus sighed, adjusting herself in her restraints. "Daiban was a long time ago, Eren."

 _The trial started as any trial would have. Everyone made their grandiose entrances and prattled on and on about what justice and law meant to the Federation. It was as atypical as a trial for shoplifting, much less the crime they were accusing Samus of. A crime which Tara Jansen made sure to stress to all those in attendance._

 _High treason. That was the jargon that was being used to define what Samus had done. Nevermind all of the travesties that Samus had prevented in her life, nevermind the travesty that she had prevented on BSL, it was High Treason for not wanting the horrors of that place to make it into the populace._

 _If there was any highlight to this nonsense legal circus that Samus was being forced to tightrope through, it was that, at least, the Federation High Council was treating her with the respect that she had earned in all of her previous exploits. They took everything into account: her first defeat of Mother Brain, her second defeat of Mother Brain, her dealing with the Phazon situation, her work with the Federation Force, and every criminal that she had brought to justice in her spare time. Even if they were accusing her of such a serious crime, they were at least grateful for everything Samus had given her life and health to achieve._

 _But, that didn't stop Jansen from twisting her dagger into Samus whenever she could. "...and therefore, honored Counsilmen, I do not believe that we should hold Ms. Aran's actions in the past as proof of her supposed "good nature", for, from a certain perspective, everything she has done in her life could be construed at her working for her own personal gain, with positive side effects happening by coincidence..."_

 _Samus rolled her eyes. Jansen's argument was ridiculous. Because, of course Samus was risking herself to make ends meet. But, at the same time, it was never just about the money. While payment was nice, the Bounty Hunter truly did enjoy improving the lives of those around her. Sometimes, the relief of the disenfranchised and fearful was more than enough payment for what she did._

 _Higgs turned and smiled at Samus. He knew as well as she did, despite having all this time to build an argument, Jansen had nothing in her salvo to tarnish Samus with. Even if Samus was guilty of some form of treason (and, technically she was) all of the good she had done would far out-weigh any bad she was to be found guilty of._

 _Jansen sat in her Prosecutor's bench, almost clawing at herself, looking for something to besmirch Samus to the Counsel. Roughly running her fingers through her hair, Jansen choked out another poorly formed accusation. "I mean...High Counsilman...we must take into account that..."_

 _The High Counsilman sighed, clearly realizing that his time was being wasted on this farce. "The Counsil is all ears for a sound argument Ms. Jansen."_

 _Jansen growled in frustration. "Perhaps this betrayal was ingrained at an early age. We take into consideration that, perhaps, Rodney Aran was just as much a traitor to the Federation as Samus Aran is and-"_

 _Samus jumped from her seat, glaring at Samus. "You BITCH! Leave my parents out of this!"_

 _Jansen flinched back, and then pointed an accusatory finger directly into Samus' face. "See? SEE?! She's an out of control animal! Look at all of that unyielding rage in her eyes!"_

 _Higgs very quickly stood, placing his hand over Samus' mouth and pushing her back down to her seat. "High Counsilman, I would like to request that that disgusting remark be stricken from the record. On the grounds that it was out of line and uncalled for!"_

 _Jansen opened her mouth to speak, but was very quickly shut down. The High Counsilman nodded in agreement. "I concur General Higgs. Rodney Aran was always fastidious and dutiful whence it came to his work. And he gave his life for the Federation. That remark will be stricken and court will take a brief recess whilst High Prosecutor Jansen takes the necessary measures to fabricate an appropriate apology for it."_

 _Jansen flinched back. Samus smirked at the haughty Prosecutor. Higgs sighed and hooked his arm underneath Samus', pulling her to her feet and walking her from the courtroom._

 _Outside the Courtroom, Samus scowled at Higgs. "Did you REALLY cover my mouth in their?! What the Hell?!"_

 _Higgs smirked. "From what General Malkovich shared during our private talks, you enjoyed that kind of treatment in the bedroom..."_

 _Samus' face turned beet red. "O-okay...first off, that only happened twice...Second off, I'm going to kick his ass across the afterlife for sharing that with other people...and third..."_

 _Samus' stomach growled and she let out an exhausted sigh. "...we've been in that courtroom for hours and I'm very, VERY hungry..."_

 _Higgs smiled and began leading Samus down the hallway. "I could go for some chow myself. And, hey, Princess, I only did that so you wouldn't say something you'd end up regreting. You've gotta admit...you're a pretty terrible talker."_

 _Samus shrugged. "Yeah...I suppose that you're right. By the way, Higgs..."_

 _Higgs smirked. "Yes Princess?"_

 _Samus pitifully raised her shackled hands. "How am I supposed to eat like this?!"_

 _Higgs chuckled and shook his head. "Don't whine. Jansen is the only person, at the moment, with access to the keys for those shackles. So...I guess that I'll just have to feed you."_

 _Samus warmly smiled. "Really? Thanks Higgs..."_

 _Higgs smiled wryly at Samus, sticking out his bottom lip. "Don' wowy wittle baby. I'll airpwane the food wight into your baby mouf!"_

 _Samus annoyedly frowned, elbowing Higgs in the ribs. "Don't push your luck!"_

 _As the two of them walked down the Hallway, playfully bickering with one another, neither realized that, hiding behind a pillar, Jansen was observing them. And, on the High Prosecutor's face, a sinister smirk was beginning to form._

Suddenly, as Samus was relaying her story to Eren, the Titan boy began to laugh. Samus frowned and glared at him. "I'm sorry...is something funny?"

Eren shook his head and continued to chuckle. "No. It's not that. It's just...you and that Higgs guy seem like you're really close. Like a pair of siblings or an old married couple..."

Samus warmly smiled and shook her head. "Neither. We were just...really good friends. I knew him for years from way back in the day."

Samus sighed. "He could've left me to rot. He was in such a high position that he could've very well ignored the fact that I was taken in. But he didn't...despite all of those years, despite everything I was accused of...he stood by me until the very end."

Eren nodded, but then his eyes fell to the floor. A wistful fog clouded them as he let loose a defeated sigh. Samus shook her head. "I'm sorry Eren. About Annie, I mean. If I thought there was any other way, anything I could've done, I-"

Eren held up a shackled hand, shaking his head. "There was no way we could've safely brought her in. And she did murder nearly the entire Special Operations Squad. And, to be honest, after the past couple of days...I've grown numb to what happened to her. I just...I just can't figure out why she did it. You know?"

Samus closed her eyes. "I've never personally been able to understand it. Betrayal like that. People do it all the time, for reasons that make perfect sense to them but sound absolutely insane to everyone else."

Eren buried his face into his hands. "I wish the rest of my friends knew, I wish I could've talked to them about this, maybe one of them could help me understand..."

Samus cocked her head. "What, are the others who know not helpful?"

Eren shook his head. "It's not that they aren't helpful..."

Samus was confused. "What do you mean?"

Eren groaned. "Mikasa never liked Annie. And Captain Levi and the other Survey Corps officers didn't know her. So I can't really ask any of them for help in assessing why she'd do this..."

Samus smiled at Eren, attempting to reassure him. "Look. After this trial...and after we sort everything out, you can talk to the rest of the 104th about it as much as you'd like. Unless, of course, they figure it out first..."

Eren was confused. "What do you mean?"

Samus chuckled. "Armin's gears have been turning ever since we got home. He's putting the pieces together pretty quickly, and it won't be long before he deduces the Female Titan's identity for himself. So, I'd imagine, by the time you get to speak to them again, they'll all know what happened to Annie..."

Eren smiled. "Yeah. Armin's always been one of the smartest people I know. Always..."

After a moment of silence, Eren looked back up at Samus. "Hey Samus...I just wanted to say thank you. Between you and Captain Levi over the past couple of days...it's been much easier to get through this than I thought it would be..."

Samus grinned and shifted in her restraint harness. "That's what we're supposed to do Eren. We life-wearied people have a duty to help out the younger people with their problems."

Samus silently groaned, her wrists were starting to ache. "Now, brace yourself."

Eren was confused. "Why?"

Suddenly, the carriage came to a quick stop, knocking Eren out of his seat. Samus took a deep breath and let it out through her nose. "We're here."

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	23. Chapter 23: The Re-Trial Pt 2

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 **Chapter 23: The Re-Trial, Pt. 2**

Samus and Eren both kept their gaze trained on the ground as the Scouts handed custody of her and Eren over to the Military Police. Samus, in particular, was very annoyed. Eren was allowed to walk. Meanwhile, her restraint platform was loaded onto a trolley and she had no choice in the matter but to be pushed into the courthouse.

Samus hated not having freedom of movement. It made her feel very boxed in, very uncomfortable, and (combined with a minor bit of claustrophobia) it scared her. Just a tiny bit, it scared her. However, this fear was quickly beaten down by an expansive cloud of UNYIELDING rage. This rage stemmed from the Military Police who escorted her and Eren to the holding cell for the trial.

One of the officers, a sleazy looking guy with swept back hair, shoved Eren down the hallway. The poor boy was walking at pace, not being purposefully slow, but the MP chose to taunt him the entire way. Meanwhile, the lead officer escorting Samus' platfrom chose to pick apart Samus' appearance. Pointing out every wrinkle and freckle she could see, and, worst of all, mocking Samus' hair. The snide MP officer sneered at Samus as she grabbed a handful of silver locks. "I bet you were pretty...once...huh?"

Samus remained silent. The MP scowled down at her, snatching the handful of hair as hard as she could. "Answer me bitch!"

Samus didn't make a single sound, avoiding any form of eye contact and remaining dour and quiet. The male officer snorted. "I think they think they're tough. This one ain't saying anything either."

The Female Officer walked up and back-handed Eren across the face. The Titan boy didn't utter a peep. She chuckled. "Stay quiet all you like you little freak. I bet you'll scream really loud when we disect you..."

The male officer turned to Samus, snorting and hawking a spit wad right on her cheek. "And you're not gonna feel so tough when we dump your ass out of Wall Rose without your armor."

Samus growled under her breath. Reaching her boiling point, Samus was about to lash out when, to her surprise, another voice spoke up in her and Eren's defense.

"Sir. Pardon my tone, but it's against protocol to vtreat prisoners like this, is it not?"

The male MP turned to his younger counterpart, scowling at him. "What the fuck did you just say to me, newbie?"

The recruit didn't back down, swallowing a lump in his throat. "I don't mean any disrespect sir...but that uniform your wearing is a symbol of trust that the people have in us as Military Police. I just don't think that you should abuse your power to-"

The older MP lashed out at the younger one, rearing back and punching him across the face. "Listen here ya little bastard! I heard about the incident this morning, you attempting to play rules lawyer with Barrett and McCree whilst they were trying to make some money on the side. Now, they said they were willing to let it slide. But I'm not! I think it's time that you learned your-"

Suddenly, another young MP came to the poor guys aid, standing inbetween he and his assailant. "Please! Sir...please don't be mad at Marlo. He's...you know...he's kind of...stupid...heh..."

The older female MP sniffed. "And you're standing up for him?"

The young lady shook her head. "No ma'am! I'm just watching out for the both of you. If you beat him...or worse...there'll be investigations and injunctions and all sorts of other ridiculous bullshit that you won't want to deal with. You know what I mean? You'd be better off if you just let him slide this time..."

The male MP sneered. "I don't know. I still kinda want to beat the shit outta this little goody-goody..."

The young lady smiled, slying unbuttoning her upper two shirt buttons. "Please don't sir. I'll..."

She sighed. "...I'll make it worth your while later tonight..."

The male MP grinned, a sleazy look glazing over his eyes. "Alright...but...heh heh...you're in for it later tonight. Ya get me?"

The young lady smiled. "Oh yes sir. You can...you can break any rules you want with me..."

The female MP sighed, not buying the younger ladies speech. But, the male MP was hooked. After a few more awkward moments, the female MP spoke up. "Okay. That's enough whoring for now. I'm bored, and I don't want to stand around here. So I'm leaving to go smoke and then go to the bar. You two little brats are in charge of watching these two..."

The male MP quickly followed. Ashe was leaving, he turned to his two younger compatriots. "Yeah. You guys can watch these two assholes. And, Hitch, I expect to see you at my place later tonight."

Hitch silently shuddered, but kept the coy smile spread on her face. "Yes sir...Lieutenant Roberts..."

Once the two older MP were gone, Hitch turned to Marlo. Her crass smile having melted into a sneer, she booted her comrade in the ribs. "Goddammit Marlo! Why'd you have to run your stupid mouth?! Now I have to go do... _that_...later tonight..."

Hitch buried her face into her hands and slowly slid down the wall. "I'm not even going to get a promotion out of this..."

Marlo sat up, coughing and clutching his ribs. "Sorry Hitch..."

Hitch rubbed her fingers against her temples, groaning to herself. "And you two! Why the Hell are you both acting so tough! _Your_ dumbass bravado is the reason _he_ was running his mouth!"

Eren remained silent, all but blowing Hitch off. Samus snarked right back at the younger woman. "I'm not the dumb slut here..."

Hitch stood, and enraged look on her face. "How dare you call me a SLUT?!"

Samus glared at her. "You're the one who just admitted that your trying to sleep your way to the top!"

Rendered speechless, Hitch backed away, grumbling to herself. Marlo, having regained his composure, began to apologize to Eren and Samus. "I'm sorry about the two of them..."

He reached down and wiped the spit from Samus' face. "And about Hitch. She's just grumpy because today was supposed to be her day off."

Hitch growled, sneering over at Marlo. "Fuck you! If she was here to diffuse your dumbass...I wouldn't have to go get fucked by that guy to keep him from killing you you big-mouthed dumbass!"

Marlo sighed. "She would've probably hurt them and got herself in trouble..."

Hitch grumbled. "Well that would've been Annie's problem!"

At the mention of that name, Eren and Samus both stiffened up. Marlo, oblivious to their sudden discomfort, tried to make conversation. "Wait a minute...your name is Eren right? Annie used to talk about you all of the time! You were part of the Southern 104th Trainees Squad with her, right?"

Eren was speechless. Samus, meanwhile, attempted to change the subject. "Southern? You mean...there was a Northern Regiment of the trainees?"

Marlo smiled. "Yes ma'am! There's a Southern and a Northern Regiment every year. We were part of the Northern! Marlo Sand, Class Rank 5th, and Hitch Dreyse, Class Rank 1st!"

Samus cocked her head. "First? Huh...sleep your way up, did you?"

Hitch sneered at Samus. "Piss off!"

Marlo sighed and shook his head. "Whilst Hitch did...do that to get 1st...she's not so bad once you get to know her. She's honestly pretty nice if you've known her for as long as I have..."

Samus smiled. "Well...you're pretty nice, yourself, Marlo."

Marlo smiled at Samus. "Oh...you think so?"

Samus nodded. "I do. You stood up to those guys, knowing that they'd probably attack you. And you're standing up for you friend despite how mean she is to you. You're a good kid..."

Marlo grinned. "Thank you. I try. I'm...I'm hoping that I can do more than feebly punch at the fog soon. The MP is so corrupted. But...it's not supposed to be like that. We're supposed to be a force that people can count on. Loyal servants to both the King and the people. But, at the moment, the Military Police are no better than a gang of bandits."

Samus smiled from ear to ear. And, finally, Eren spoke up. "That's a nice goal to be working towards. Wanting to stop corruption within the Walls. I can appreciate that kind of ethic..."

Hitch sneered. "Of course you can. Jeez...Annie was right. You idiots are so alike with one another..."

Eren fell quiet once more. Samus did as well. But then, to both of their surprise, a hint of sincerity entered Hitch's voice. "By the way...have you seen Annie at all? It's been a couple of days since she's come back to our apartment and...I'm starting to worry about her..."

Eren cleared his throat. "Why would I know anything about where she was?"

Hitch glared at him. "Because you're one of the people she talked about the most. You...and this girl named Mina...and these two guys, Bertolt...and...I don't fucking remember his name..."

After a moment of silence, Eren sighed, adjusting his shackles. "No. I haven't seen Annie since the Battle of Trost..."

Marlo and Hitch both took exception to that, noticing the hesitant tone of Eren's voice. As Hitch stood, preparing to pepper Eren with more questions, the door slammed open and another MP stuck his head in. "Hey! Roberts! O'Hara!"

The MP scanned the room, noticing the lack of high ranked Military Police. "Where the Hell are Roberts and O'Hara?!"

Quickly, before Marlo could open his mouth, Hitch answered the question. "Sorry sir. They were called back to base to...fill out some paperwork. So, they left us here to watch the prisoners whilst they went to do their duty. Don't worry..."

Hitch turned and kicked Eren in the shin. "We've been keeping them in line!"

The MP had a lazy, incredulous look on his face. But, he sighed. "Just bring them along. The trial is starting."

Hitch and Marlo nodded and got to work. Hitch grabbed the chain attached to Eren's shackles whilst Marlo pushed Samus' restraint palette. Samus and Eren turned to one another, shooting each other a sad look. This was it. The end.

Marlo and Hitch escorted Samus and Eren into the courtroom and then quickly made there leave. Not that Samus or Eren could blame them. No one would've wanted to be standing next to the Bounty Hunter and the Titan Boy where they were currently standing.

To their left, the Military Police and various scornful governmental represnetatives. To their right, the Survey Corps and their allies from the 104th. Mikasa, Reiner, Bertolt, Jean, Connie, Sasha, Krista, Ymir, Armin, and Mina all stared, with sadness in their eyes, as their friends were sat before the judgemental eyes of Niles Dok and Darius Zackley. Neither man looked very pleased.

Samus sat, restrained, and sighed. As Nile Dok began to rail against her, Eren, and the Survey Corps, Samus zoned out. It was the only thing she could do to keep from losing her temper. As the MP made their case for why Samus and Eren deserved to be burned for what had happened on the 57th Expedition, Samus zoned out and thought of the past.

 _Samus and Higgs, fat and happy from their lunch, walked back into the courtroom and took their seats. They were both confident in the trial to come. Samus might be forced to face a form of punishment, but it would at least be menial._

 _The both shot their most shit-eating grins at Jansen as she strode in. However, they were confused to see her smile right back at them. Samus gave Higgs a concerned look, but he held up an abating hand. What could Jansen have possibly gathered in the intervening moments between sessions that could hurt their case?_

 _The Counselmen all filed back in, each calmly taking their seats. The Lead Counselman filed his papers together and cleared his throat. "High Prosecutor Jansen, I believe you've prepared an apology to the room for your undue remarks?"_

 _Jansen nodded and stood. "High Counselman, I would like to express my most humble apologies for besmirching the name of Rodney Aran. And loyal soldier, such as he was, is underserving of my disrespect..."_

 _Samus nodded in affirmation. Her memories of her birth parents were brief, but the Bounty Hunter knew that they were both good people. Jansen nodded and continued. "However, Your Honor, I still maintain my case that Samus Aran, with her enhanced strength and capabilities, is a threat to the Federation as a whole."_

 _Samus grumbled under her breath, trying her best to remain low profile. However, Jansen immediately picked up on this. "I'm sorry Miss Aran, do you have something to add?"_

 _Samus gasped, and then she immediately shut her mouth. But, Jansen refused to let up. "No, Samus, if you have something to say in your defense, I would insist that you come forth and share your opinion! As a matter of fact, I will now exercise my right to call you to the stand!"_

 _Samus' eyes widened. This...this might be the worst thing that could've happened to her. Samus was strong, a skilled fighter, and an expert strategist. But, there was always one skill that eluded her in life, she ABSOLUTELY could not publically speak. She was as terse as they came._

 _However, Higgs remained calm. "Fine, High Prosecutor, we'll gladly take the stand."_

 _Jansen cattily smiled over at Higgs, raising her finger and wagging it in his face. "No. No no. I'm sorry General Higgs, but I'd like to hear what Ms. Aran has to say. Not you. You may remain seated as I question her. Guards, please escort her to the stand."_

 _Samus was panicking. As the guards came and took hold of her, she shot Higgs one last pleading look. Unfortunately, the General had nothing. He and Samus could do naught but observe as the guards dragged the silently kicking and screaming Bounty Hunter to the stand. And, in Samus' eyes, that bench might as well have been the Electric Chair._

 _Samus kept her face buried in her hands as Jansen laid bare every crime she had commited. Everything from rampant destruction of Federation property, to defiance of a direct order from High Command, to outright treason. Every terrible thing that occurred on BSL that Jansen could twist to her advantage was described in full detail. And, by the time Jansen was done, it was apparent on Higgs and Samus' faces, Jansen had found an advantage. With everything Samus had done laid bare, it was time for the tight-lipped Bounty Hunter to explain herself. God help her._

 _Jansen tapped her fingers together, a smug grin spread across her lips. "So, Ms. Aran, with your crimes explained to the Counsel and your peers, would you care to answer a single question for me?"_

 _Samus' face a practically glowing green. "W-what?"_

 _Jansen stared daggers at her prey. "Would you describe yourself, for the crime of treason to the Galactic Federation, based on the law as it has been described to you, are you Innocent...or Guilty?"_

 _Samus shifted in her chair. The cuffs around her wrists felt much tighter than they had before, the collar around her neck was practically squeezing the air from her throat. But, in spite of all of that, Samus couldn't bring herself to lie. Of the many, many things Samus was guilty of in her life, dishonesty wasn't one of them. The Chozo had taught her to never lie. And so, albeit with a bit of a shake in her voice, Samus gave her answer. "Based on the facts presented to the courtroom...I suppose that I'm Guilty..."_

 _Jansen smiled. "Well then, thank you Miss-"_

" _Hold It!"_

 _Jansen turned to Samus, who was glaring at her, her intense blue eyes flaring. "I'mnot done yet Jansen. Now, sit down, shut up, and let me speak my mind!"_

 _Jansen began to make a comeback, but then stopped herself. "You know what? That's perfectly fine Miss Aran. Please, say whatever you feel is necessary..."_

 _Samus swallowed a lump in her throat. She and Jansen both knew it, that this might do more harm than good. But, if this was her only chance at it, Samus needed to make sure that people knew what she had learned of the Galactic Federation since she had gone rogue. "Well, High Prosecutor, in my opinion...this Counsel is composed of and run by ignorant fools!"_

 _The Counsel all collectively gasped. The High Counselman immediately spoke up. "How dare you?! Samus Aran, we've chosen to be lenient with you in this trial. Based on your service to the Federation alone, we've given you a fair meter! How dare you accuse us of incompetence!"_

 _Samus sniped at the Counselman. "How can you hold up this facade of control and knowledgibilty when nearly every mess I've had to clean up in my career has been because of your laziness or carelessness. Your inability to properly handle situations, your willingness to sweep problems that you consider inconvenient under the rug, and your obessesion with playing God whilst all you do is play with fire?!"_

 _The Counselman growled under his breath. "The gall..."_

 _Samus continued. "BSL is YOUR fault! Mother Brain is YOUR FAULT! And..."_

 _Samus' words hitched in her throat. "Adam...Adam's death...IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! That eggs that you chose to incubate, the scientists knew what it would grow to become! And the Metroids...you thought that you could control them! And because of those...STUPID DECISIONS...you killed Adam...he died for you...for your mistakes and arrogance..."_

 _Jansen sniffed. "He was an acceptable loss for the sake of progress."_

 _Samus' eyes widened. "That's BULLSHIT and you know it! What 'progress' did any of that asinine shit bring?! It brought NOTHING! And that's because you weren't trying to make progress, you were trying to make WEAPONS! Which is exactly what you would've done with the horrors on BSL! You would've tried to make weapons out of them and you would've FUCKED the galaxy in the process!"_

 _Jansen sneered and smashed her fist on the table. "OBJECTION! You, Miss Aran, seem to be forgetting the successes that the Federation has made in our pursuit of more effective defensive measures! For instance, look at the highly effective Ridley Clones that we've produced. They have been, and will continue to be our most effective defense against the remnant of Mother Brain's army! They kill Metroids better than you ever could and are programmed to be completely loyal to the Federation! They're the safest measure of defense that we have!"_

 _Samus glared at Jansen. "Safe?!"_

 _The Bounty Hunter reached down to her waist, yanking up her shirt and pointing the the bandages on her ribs. "You call this SAFE?! Look at this! That thing was sent in to GUARD me! GUARD! But, rather than follow their so-called 'programming', one of them attacked me the first chance it got! How on Daiban can you consider this safe?! Those things are nothing more than unstable time bombs! Rabid animals! And their just waiting for the chance to go off and take hundreds to thousands of unsuspecting people with them!"_

 _Jansen shrugged, her eyebrows having furrowed up. "Nothing more than speculation and paranoia. And, Your Honor,it's this paranoia that has so permeated Miss Aran's personality to which I defer my main point: Samus Aran is too dangerous towards the Federation and it's people for us to allow to run wild, unchecked."_

 _Samus glared at Jansen as the woman further pontificated. "This woman, if you could even call her that, is basically a living, breathing super weapon! And, whilst it was all well and good to allow her to do as she pleased during the halcyon days of Ridley and Kraid running amuck, we must take into account the fact that she's aging...and that her mind might be going. The BSL incident is just further proof of the fact that we can no longer trust her, with her strength and skill, to be allowed to run loose. Which, should the Counsel be willing to hear me out, brings me to my main point..."_

 _The High Counselman stroked his antennae. "Which is?"_

 _Jansen cleared her throat. "Samus Aran is slowly, but surely, turning into a dangerous rabid animal. And, it's my opinion that she should be locked away, where we can keep an eye on her."_

 _Samus scowled at Jansen. Higgs immediately objected. "Hold it right there Jansen!"_

 _Jansen turned her gaze to Higgs. The General, shaking with anger, growled out his words. "Samus Aran is a good soldier. What you see as her turning into a rabid animal, I see as her acting on instinct! Even if her instinct might've been a bit faulty, she was still just doing what we teach every Marine in the Federation to do. Should they not see a sound option to follow, they go with their gut! And, while she and I both think she should face some sort punishment for defying orders, the last thing that she deserves is eternal imprisonment! She might've broken protocol, but she's still one of the best and brightest heroes ever to serve the Federation! She leniency for what she's done for us!"_

 _At first, the Counsel seemed angry at Higgs' outburst, but then they began to think. Slowly, the anger left their eyes and was replaced by the same wisdom that they normally displayed. Finally, the High Counselman spoke. "High Prosecutor Jansen...despite Samus Aran's galling remarks in regard to our incompetence, we must agree with General Higgs. She was committed to much of her life serving the Federation's needs for us to just toss her into a cell. She will be punished for her treason...but it will not be through denial of her personal freedom. Perhaps, you could think of something else?"_

 _Samus breathed a sigh of relief. Whilst Jansen began to think, the Bounty Hunter looked over at Higgs. She smiled at him and he smiled back. He had saved her ass from the fire yet again._

 _After a few moments of silence, Jansen smiled. Samus took one look at the smile and was instantly unnerved. Jansen was up to something. Tara Jansen turned to Higgs and shot him that same smile, and then she spoke. "General Higgs spoke of instinct playing a factor in sending Miss Aran over the edge. And, if it pleases the court, I've decided that I agree with the belief that such a hero doesn't belong in a cell. Therefore, I've come up with a compromise that we can all agree with..."_

 _The High Counselman raised an eyebrow. "The Counsel is listening..."_

 _Jansen adjusted her glasses. "If Samus Aran's instincts are what's causing her to freak out, perhaps the best way to handle this would be to get rid of them."_

 _The entire courtroom gasped. Samus and Higgs' eyes both widened. Jansen continued. "Now, it's not as if I'm suggesting a lobotomy. I'm merely suggesting that we show Miss Aran how far Federation technology has come. And we do this by introducing her to a dose of the same Metroids that we've used to help maintain control over the Ridley Clones."_

 _Higgs, seething with anger, cried out. "Hold on one damn minute! How can you-"_

 _Jansen held up an abating hand. "General Higgs. I'm not suggesting that we use these Metroids to fully control Miss Aran's mind. I'm suggesting that we use them to...wind her down just a bit. She's clearly stressed...and we wouldn't want her to become dangerous to herself or others, so we just keep her on a regimen of Inhibitor Metroids for everyone's sake. She gets to live a happy life of freedom, and we get peace of mind! It works out for everyone..."_

 _Samus was dumbfounded. She was rendered totally speechless. As Jansen walked backto her bench, shooting Samus a smug grin, Samus was frozen solid._

 _Higgs spoke up one last time. "High Counselman...this is utterly ridiculous. You can't seriously be considering..."_

 _The High Counselman stroked his antennae for a few moments. And then he spoke. "General Higgs...High Prosecutor Jansen does make several valid points..."_

 _Jansen smiled and nodded. "I do."_

 _The High Counselman continued. "And, having deliberated, perhaps it would be best for everyone if Samus Aran were to be calmed. Better for us...better for her..."_

 _Higgs turned to Samus, who was shooting him an absolutely heartbreaking look. And he had no idea what to say. The High Counselman concluded. "Therefore...we will put it to a vote. We of the Counsel."_

 _Samus was hyperventilating. She was shifting and shaking in her seat, now, now she felt trapped. The High Counselman cleared his throat. "Now...all those for administering the dose of Metroids?"_

 _Finally, for only the second time in her life, Samus cried out. "NO! No! Please! You...you can't do this! Please don't! You...you can't change me like that! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TAMPER WITH MY MIND! YOU CAN'T APPROVE THIS! Please..."_

 _The High Counsel all stared piteously at Samus as she sobbed in her stand. The Bounty Hunter, the Hero of the Federation, had been reduced to a stressed out, sobbing mess._

 _The High Counselman sighed. "I'm sorry, Miss Aran, but this might be the best scenario for us and you. Please, take a look at yourself...this outburst is just proof of how unstable you've become."_

 _Samus choked back a sob as the High Counselman addressed the Counsel. "We will put it to a vote...all those for administering a dose of Inhibitor Metroids to Samus Aran?"_

 _Samus and Higgs both watched in horror as, with no trepidation, all five members of the Galactic Counsel raised their hands in agreement. Jansen, watching from her bench, smiled in victory._

 _The High Counselman solemnly nodded. "Then it is settled. This Counsel finds Samus Aran guilty of treason to the Galactic Federation. Her punishment: a dosage of Inhibitor Metroids in order to even out her temperatment, for the sake of the Federation and it's people."_

 _As Samus and Higgs shot each other one last devastatingly sad look, the Counselman banged his gavel. "Case dismissed."_

 _Meanwhile, on a watch tower near the Galactic Congress, several Federation Marine's sat bored at their post. All except for new recruit Wally Burgess. As his superiors sat their, playing games of cards and goofing off, he maintained his post, watching the skys._

 _He comrades, all resting on their laurels, chose to needle the new recruit for fun. "C'mon Burgess! If you don't lighten up, you're gonna end up dying young!"_

 _Burgess shook his head. "Sorry to disagree with you sir, but a situation could occur at any moment, and my drill sergeant always stressed to stay alert!"_

 _The older Marines chuckled as they set down their hands. The winner smiled and pulled close his newly earned pile of credits. "Kid. These are the good times! Nothing's gonna go wrong. Everything will be fine..."_

 _The older Marine frowned as the bright and shining day suddenly became overcast. "Dammit. The weather report didn't mention rain..."_

 _He sighed. "Burgess, you're on your feet. Activate the storm shutters. I don't wanna fuckin' get wet..."_

 _One of the other Marines began dealing cards as the older Marine re-lit his cigar. After a few moments, however, he noticed that the storm shields weren't activated. "Burgess! Turn on the God damn shields!"_

 _Still no response. Finally, the old veteran turned around. "BURGESS!"_

 _However, to everyone's shock, Burgess wasn't listening to them. He was staring in the sky, mouth agape. The veteran stood up. "Burgess? The Hell are you looking at?"_

 _The veteran Marine joined Burgess at his window, and he too stood in terrified awe of what he saw. The two of them, and eventually their comrades, stared up in the air as, from the sky, hundreds upon hundreds of freshly cloned Ridley's rained down from the sky._

"EXCUSE ME!"

Samus groggily returned back to reality and her eyes near instantly locked with Nile Dok. The Military Police Commander glared down at her, the sparkle from the sapphire in his Bolo Tie glinting in the thin sunlight.

Samus sighed and shook her head. She shot him a sideways look. "I'm sorry. Your speech was _so_ _interesting_ that it was causing me to reflect on the past. Now, please, may I help you?"

Nile glowered down at her. "Yes. You may. Would you please explain to me, exactly, HOW YOU ALLOWED THE TRAVESTY THAT WAS THE 57TH EXPEDITION HAPPEN?! YOU HAD THE BRAVADO TO BRAG TO US ABOUT ALL OF THE EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE IN HANDLING SITUATIONS LIKE THESE! HOW YOU'VE HANDLED MONSTERS HUNDREDS OF TIMES WORSE THAN ANY TITAN! HOW COULD YOU ALLOW ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE, DOZENS OF THEM, TO DIE UNDER YOUR WATCH?!"

Samus gritted her teeth, bowing up to Nile as best she could in her tied down position. "I'm sorry, you're blaming all of this on me?! And I suppose I'm responsible for every other death at the hands of the Titans too, right?! All of the ones that occurred before I got here?! Is that it?!"

Nile flinched back. Samus, a new fire burning in her eyes, didn't let up. "And, furthermore, how dare you presume that you can empathize with all of the Scouts who died out there?! I hear that tone in your voice, you trying to make it seem like their deaths have affected you so badly! Well you can take that fake empathy and FUCK OFF! Because, no matter how much you try to presume you know their struggle, no matter how much you insist that you know better, you'll never know the terror that those poor people go through out there!"

Nile opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it. Samus nodded. "That's right! Shut your fucking mouth. Those poor people out there...they died for what they considered to be a righteous cause. They never gave it a second thought...and not one person that we had to intern did so much as flinch in the face of death. They were brave people..."

Nile sneered, bile building up in his throat. "They were. They were all brave people. And...whilst I don't believe that we'll ever see eye to eye, I think we can agree that their deaths here were utterly pointless."

Samus glared at him. "Wrong. I would never say that. Like I said before those people..."

Samus motioned towards Eren, the Survey Corps top brass, and the 104th Trainees. "...and the ones that lived through that Hell, they were willing to give their lives for what they thought was a noble and good cause. So, No, I won't say that their deaths were pointless...that would be dishonorable towards all of them. But, I will go as far as to say...the ends did no meet the means. And I don't feel that their deaths were worth it."

Niles' face softened. Samus frowned in sadness. "And...trust me. I'm going to spend the rest of my life thinking up ways I could've saved each and every one of them. We BOTH will..."

Samus glanced over at Eren. The restrained Titan Boy looked as if he were either about to cry or vomit. Maybe a combination of both. Samus sighed. "But...the blame for this isn't mine and Eren's to shoulder. Not alone at least. Because...along with many other factors in all of this, the two of us could never have planned for the Female Titan..."

Niles' angry sneer returned. He glared at Samus, and then Eren, and then Erwin, and then back to Samus. "Really?! That's your defense for all of this...you couldn't have seen it coming? Well...I have a question for you in return...WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MATTER?!"

Samus flinched back as Nile launched into another tirade. "I remind you of the facts as they were presented to us! Eren Yeager is a boy that can transform into a sentient Titan! You, Samus Aran, are a powerful being made of advanced weaponry and God-like strength! No matter what challenge befell you out there, in the wilds of Wall Maria, you should have been able to handle it with little to no difficulty. You were presented to us as the Ultimate Weapons against the Titans and you failed to live up to that expectation!"

Samus grunted and averted her gaze. She shifted uncomfortably in her restraints. "My Power Suit does make me powerful. And Eren's Titan shifting makes him strong as well. But you know what those factors don't make us...?"

Nile was blunt. "What?"

Samus snapped at him. "IT DOESN'T MAKE US FUCKING OMNIPOTENT!"

Nile flinched back once more as Samus yelled at him. "No matter what powers we have, we can't foresee tragedy! We can wish for things to be okay! We can hope that things go well! And we can try our damnedest to carry on the fight! But, we can't prevent what we can't see and what we don't understand! And, we can't factor in for arrogance, stupidity, and poor planning! And that, Nile Dok, is all that this Expedition was! It was nothing more that an arrogant man looking out for his own BULLSHIT goals with little to no concern for who fell in the process!"

The entire room went silent as Samus took a breath. "I said that I would never call a persons death pointless. Especially if they were dedicated to what they died for...and the Scouts that died were dedicated...they just didn't know what they were dedicating themselves to. And that...that is why I'll always say that their deaths weren't worth it..."

And then, her tirade finished, Samus cut a furious glare directly at Erwin Smith. The man stared backat her, his face as cool and unflinching as a smooth stone.

Nile, rendered speechless by Samus' outburst, turned his attention to Erwin as well. And finally, Generalissimo Zackley turned his attention to the Survey Corps. Commander. "Erwin...what _was_ your true goal for the 57th Scouting Expedition?"

The entire Courtroom stared at Erwin, their attention wrapped around his the Scout Commander as they awaited his answer. Erwin closed his eyes and sighed out of his nose. And then, betraying no worry whatsoever, he began to speak. "My goal? My goal is rather complicated. You see-"

Suddenly, before Erwin could speak his intent, the Courtroom doors creaked open, and a hooded figure walked in. The person, to the surprise of everyone, walked directly past the guards and walked up to Samus.

Samus gasped. As did the Survey Corps officers. For, whilst her the major features of her face were hidden in shadow, the build, the blonde hair, and the Cleopatra-esque nose gave it away: it was Annie Leonhart.

Almost immediately, every Survey Corps officer drew their blades, as did Mikasa, and, after a moments hesitation, so did Armin. The rest of the 104th and Nile Dok both stood surprised. Immediately, Nile began to dress down Annie. "Leonhart! What the Hell do you think you're doing barging into this Courtroom?! No one summoned you! And,more importantly, were the Hell have you been?!"

No response. Nile growled. "Give me one good reason to not write you up for dereliction of duty!"

Annie still remained quiet, not moving a muscle. Nile, noticing the Scouts had drawn their weapons, turned his attention to them. "Why that Hell do you all have your weapons drawn?! Put them away at once! There's no need for-"

Levi quickly interrupted. "Annie Leonhart! Put your fucking hands over your head right now! I won't ask you again!"

Mikasa, her eyes glowing red with rage, stepped forth. "I don't even plan to ask the first time! Give me a reason not to filet you!"

Reiner and Bertolt both stepped forth. Reiner was nervous. "Captain?! Mikasa?! What are you doing? It's Annie. She's our friend. P-put your swords down..."

Bertolt swallowed a lump in his throat. "Annie? Say something. Are you okay?"

Finally, after a long silence, Annie Leonhart pulled her hood down. And, to the surprise of everyone present, tears were streaming down her face.

As Annie stood their sobbing, Eren couldn't help but call out. "What the Hell?!"

Everyone's eyes widened as they all looked at Annie's face, disbelieving what they were seeing. Neon blue splotches, each with a pulsing red core, were going up and down the girls face, bleeding into her eyes and even threading their way into her mouth. Hanji dropped her swords in awe. "What in the world...?"

Annie sobbed, meekly pulling at the strange device collared around her neck. "Please...please kill me...please..."

Samus shifted back in her restraints, her eyes wide with fear. "Where did you get those...?"

Annie didn't respond, she just further broke down. "Please Kill Me! Please...I want to die..."

Hanji ran up to Samus. "Samus? What the Hell are those?!"

Samus shook her head in disbelief. "Metroid sores...Why the FUCK does she have METROID SORES?! WHY DO YOU HAVE METROID SORES?!"

Annie turned to Samus, her eyes red and puffy. The young girl was barely choking back sobs as she pleaded to Samus. "Please...you have to kill me! It hurts...it hurts so much...PLEASE!"

Hanji stared in horror. "Are those contagious? Samus! What are those?! What the Hell is a Metroid?!"

Samus looked Annie up and down, confused as to what she was seeing. However, she was most shocked when she finally noticed just what the collar Annie was wearing was. "Is that...is that a loud speaker around your neck...?!"

Annie fell to her knees, crying her eyes out. "Please...I don't want to do it again. It's agonizing..."

And then, to Samus' horror, the loud speaker buzzed to life. "Hello...Hunter!"

Samus' pupils shrank. "Ridley?!"

The loud speaker cackled. "You're going to love this! Annie, be a dear and snap your finger..."

Without hesitation, Annie took her left index finger into her right hand. Samus cried out. "Wait! Annie stop!"

But, it was too late, Annie snapped her finger in half and lightning struck.

Samus awoke in a daze. Her ears were ringing so loudly she was barely able to hear. She tried to sit up, but was quickly stopped by the combination of her restraints and the rubble laying on top of her.

As Samus began to struggle her way out of her bonds, Samus took stock of the wreckage around her. The Courthouse was demolished. Everything was laying in ruin and/or on fire. In the distance, Samus could hear people screaming and crying for help...as well as a faint shrieking.

With one final tug, Samus broke the shackles holding her hands behind her back and pulled off the straps keeping her legs bound. And then, with one final shove and tug, Samus was free and one her feet. After taking a quick breath, Samus then got to work searching for her armor. She knew that she would need it.

Samus tossed rubble around the wreckage of the former courthouse, she needed to find her Power Suit. Every few seconds, she'd catch a glimpse of the Stohess District burning to the grounds, and she'd become even more frantic. Every second that she took was another life lost.

Finally, after tossing away a large piece of wall, Samus found the box containing her suit. And, trapped beneath it, she found Nile Dok, his arm shattered from being crushed by rubble. And she began to put on her suit, Samus regarded Nile, knowing that he would bleed to death if she didn't do something.

After getting her suit on, and with some annoyance and reservations, Samus pulled Nile from the rubble and quickly began to splint his arm. Nile, barely conscous, glanced up at Samus. "Y...your saving me...?"

Samus nodded. "It's the right thing to do. Of course I'm saving you."

Nile sighed, and then began to stare into the sky. "It was horrible. Absolutely horrible. That...that monster..."

Samus nodded as she pulled the final knot tight in her makeshift splint. "Yes. It is. But...I'm going to stop it!"

Leaving Nile where he was lying, Samus sprinted off. She needed to hurry before it was too late. Those piercing screeches were only getting further and further away.

As she ran towards the commotion, Samus was met by several crowds off people. Fleeing citizens, injured soldiers, and carts upon carts of terrified children were in high supply. Rounding the corner, Samus ran by a crushed bar and caught the sight of Roberts and O'Hara, the two scumbag MP's, laying dead in the street. Roberts was scorched to death, O'Hara was bitten in half.

Samus made leaps and bounds over the destruction as she ran towards her objective. She passed a broken church, a boat laying in the wreckage of a market, and a burning pit that might've once been a town square. She wasn't sure where exactly the monster she was hunting was...until the Rogue Titan's head came flying by her, splattering against a brick building.

Samus looked in the direction that the head had come from, and was shocked at what she saw. The Female Titan was standing there, piles of dead Scouts and Garrison littered at its feet. Except, this time, it looked...different.

Where the beast once had human-esque fingers, it now had prehensile, sharp talons. Where it once had a spine and molars, it now had spines and fangs. Where its ass once was was now covered by a spindly purple tail. And, where it was once covered in golden, enamel-like armor, it now had purple and gold plates.

But, worst of all, from head to toe to tip of the tail, the Female Titan was now covered in Metroid Blisters. Several suckers marked over it's body, on the palms of its hands and all over its tail. And a look of intense pain was spread across it's face. Whatever had happened to the Female Titan, it wasn't pleasant.

And this rampage, it wasn't malicious, it was instinctual. The monster was in pain and it was lashing out.

Finally, the best looked down at Samus. Samus glared back and cocked her cannon. And then, with one last haunting shriek, the Female Titan breathed a stream of flames into the air and charged.

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	24. Chapter 24: Ridlannie

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 _A/N: Sorry this took so long, this and 25 are going to be the "season finale" while I take a break to do other things. So, I wanted to make sure this was good for the people who enjoy it! Thank you for your support! :)_

 **Chapter 24: Ridlannie**

As the beast charged, Samus quickly ducked into a nearby building, barely avoiding the Female Titan's charge. However, the beast was quick on it's feet, deftly turning and lashing it's prehensile tail through the building and scooping Samus into the air.

Samus grunted, activating her Scan Visor and allowing it to map out the proper path to avoid the trajectory of the monster's furious swipes. And the, quickly cocking her arm cannon, Samus released a blur of energy blasts into Annie's face. With the monster distracted, Samus charged a charge shot and levied her aim at the nape of Annie's neck.

Samus quickly fired her Charge Shot, but Annie jumped out of the way, raising her massive arms into the air and attempting to haymaker Samus into the street.

Entering her Morph Ball, Samus rolled away, zipping up the back of Annie's leg and shooting up to the Female Titan's shoulder. Not skipping a beat, Samus dropped three Morph Ball bombs onto the Female Titan, hitting the ground as the charges exploded on Annie's back and shoulders.

Samus turned, ready to quickly lay into Annie whilst she was armless, but was shocked to find a huge, purple-armor-clad fist coming right at her. Samus crossed her arms in defense as she was quickly slammed into the side of a huge, stone building.

Samus glared up at Annie, flinching as the Female Titan shrieked in agony. She was now impervious to Samus' cannon and her explosives. Just what the Hell had Ridley done to her?!

Getting over her pain spasms, Annie glared back down at Samus, pained tears running down her cheeks. She reared back, an ominous, plasma-hued glow shining from her agape mouth. Samus braced herself, prepared for the worst. However, the worst didn't come.

As she was about to breath a stream of flames, Annie cried out in pain once more. However, this time the cause of the agony was clear. As Annie staggered back, Levi and Mikasa came shooting forth, both of them hurriedly motioning for Samus to follow them.

Samus silently nodded and, in spite, shot a Super Missile at Annie, blasting her into the nearby aquaduct.

As Annie struggled to recover from Samus, Mikasa, and Levi's attacks, the three of them joined the rest of the Scouts around a pitiful sight: Eren, loosely hanging from the remains of the Rogue Titan's body. Sasha and Hanji, swords in hand, carefully finished chopping Eren out of the steadily disintigrating corpse, as Levi barked orders at them. "Hurry the fuck up! That thing is already recovering!"

Mikasa gritted her teeth in Annie's direction. "If you'd let me I'd kill her! She's not right in her head, not that she ever was to begin with, but, she's especially gone now!"

The 104th Trainees cringed at Mikasa's harsh tone. Connie's voice wavered. "Mikasa...that's...that's Annie..."

Mikasa glared at Connie. "NO! That's the monster that tried to kill us in the Forest of Giant Trees! The monster that MURDERED the Special Operations Squad! I'll KILL HER!"

Levi quickly reached out, grabbing Mikasa by her scarf. "No! You are NOT going out there to die. We'll retreat, regroup, and strategize. Now come on!"

Mikasa sneered at Levi, anger burning in her eyes. Levi sighed. "Fine. Samus. Carry her."

Mikasa flinched. "What?!"

And then, with no warning, Samus hoisted Mikasa into the air, clamping her hand over the girls mouth and following the rest of the Scouts as they all fled down the street and, several blocks later, descending into the crumbled remains of a house, retreating into was used to be a basement.

Mikasa screamed as she was finally let loose. "How dare you-"

But, very quickly, Hanji shut the angry young woman down. "Mikasa! Normally, I wouldn't mind your temper! But this is a crisis! Stohess is being RAZED TO THE GROUND! So shut your mouth, and let me and the others think of an appropriate strategy, or I'll assert my right to issue you a gag order! And I DO NOT mean that in a metaphorical sense! Are we clear?!"

Mikasa frowned, not backing down. Hanji, clearly not having it, bowed up to the young Scout. "Are. We. Clear?"

After a moments hesitation, Mikasa sighed, quickly turning her attention to her unconscious brother. Hanji stared at the two of them for a solid minute, and then she spoke. "Why isn't Eren healing?"

Everyone flinched, and then they all turned and stared at Eren, watching in horror as Mikasa pressed a folded cloth over a wound on his sternum, trying to halt the blood flow. Hanji reiterated the question, this time with a slight waver in her voice. "WHY THE HELL ISN'T HE HEALING?!"

Reiner glared down at Eren and shook his head. "I noticed something similar when he tried to fight Annie earlier. The wounds his Titan form sustained just weren't healing up. Maybe...whatever the fuck happened to Annie is affecting him in some way..."

Bertolt nodded. "Speaking of which...Samus, what the Hell is going on out there?! That was Ridley's voice we heard before Annie transformed. Does that monster have something to do with this?!"

Samus shrugged, averting her gaze to the floor. "I don't know what's going on with either of them. All I can say for sure is that, first off, those were definitely Metroid Sores growing all over both Annie and the Female Titan's faces. And, second, I don't have any proof...but Eren's powers might be malfunctioning due to reservations in fighting against Annie Leonhart..."

The others stood in silence, none of them knowing what to do. Samus shook her head. "Where the Hell is Erwin? Did he die?!"

Mike Zacharius sniffed. "Don't know. All of us that weren't crushed near instantly began evacuating civilians out of Stohess. Once we had a handle on that, the more experienced fighters went on to try and fight that monster...we're all that's left of them..."

Nanaba shook her head. "I don't think that Erwin is dead. He's been through worse. He's probably just waiting for the appropriate time to pop back out again. But...who leads whilst he's gone?"

Hanji, kneeling next to Eren, raised her hand. "Normally, that would be me. But...I need to figure out what's wrong with Eren. So, I nominate Samus and Levi to lead the counter-attack against that _thing_..."

Levi and Samus turned to each other. After a moment, they silently nodded and stepped forth. Levi crossed his arms and scowled. "Armin, you've known Eren longer than anyone here. You stay with Hanji and try to figure out just what the Hell is wrong with him. The rest of us will go and take on that monster. Any questions?"

Everyone remained silent. The Survey Corps. Officer all steeled and ready to kill. The members of the 104th, however, seemed a bit more reserved. It was clear, knowing that the Female Titan was Annie Leonhart, none of them wanted to fight. That is, except for Mikasa.

Mikasa scowled and drew her blades, a murderous look in her eyes. "Let's go END this."

As they Scouts all began to sneak their way out of the basement, Mina suddenly spoke up. "Um...excuse me. Captain Levi?"

Levi turned to the young, pig-tailed woman, glaring at her as she twiddled her fingers. His scowl deepened. "What?!"

Mina could barely look him in the eye. "I...I think it would be wise if, while they're trying to help Eren recover, Armin and Ms. Hanji had someone watching their back. Just in case..."

Levi growled under his breath and shrugged. "Whatever."

Mina watched, guilt streaked across her face as her friends and superiors left, Levi limping all the way. Once they were well out of earshot, Mina frowned and collapsed against the wall, burying her face in her hands.

Hanji turned to her, gently patting her on the head. "Don't be upset. I...can't say that I approve. But I understand that you're scared of what's out there. It's pretty damn horrifying..."

Mina shook her head. "That's not why I backed out. I..."

Hanji frowned as Mina began to sob into her knees. "What is it?"

Armin was taciturn. "Annie and Mina were best friends back in boot camp. Like...BEST friends. Mina was one of the only people that Annie ever actually talked to..."

Hanji stared piteously down at Mina. Mina shuddered. "And...all I can do now is sit here and cower while the others, poor, injured Captain Levi included, all go out there and fight..."

As Mina shrank more and more, Hanji silently chuckled to herself. "Look, Mina, you don't have to worry about Levi. He can be very, VERY obstinent. And he's pissed right now. So you just sit here and keep guard on us while we help Eren and don't be upset, okay?"

Mina looked up, her eyes puffy and red. Armin turned around from Eren and gave her an uneasy smile. Mina took a deep breath and sighed. "Yes ma'am..."

And then, with stagnant silence and the occasional rumble from what was going on above, Hanji and Armin began trying to wake up Eren.

The Female Titan screamed out as Mike Zacharius and Nanaba led Krista, Ymir, and Jean around to her back, each of the Scouts sinking both of the blades underneath her armor plating and driectly into her spine. And then, with a mighty pull, they rended the armor from Annie's back.

Immediately after, Samus came zipping up in her Morph Ball. As she unfurled, Samus took careful aim and, much to Annie's horror, blasted her entire back with the Ice Beam, focusing quite a bit of it on the Female Titan's left arm.

On Samus' heels, Ymir came rocketing back up and rammed a fresh set of blades into Annie's frozen shoulder, cracking it off and severing it.

Samus nodded at Ymir, charging up her Charge Beam and blasting off the Female Titan's right arm, obliterating the entirety of the beasts right shoulder.

Crying out in pain, Annie turned to Samus, shooting a stream of flames at the Bounty Hunter. Samus quickly grabbed Ymir and retreated back behind a huge piece of rubble. Annie screeched and began to stalk forward, flames continuously spwing from her gaping maw.

However, the monster's progress was immediately halted by Levi and Mikasa shooting their cables into Annie's neck, zipping up to her face and slicing the tendons and muscles in her exposed jaws. And then, immediately forcing the Female Titan's mouth shut and pinning it closed with their blades.

Follwoing up on that, Mike and Nanaba sank their blades into Annie's knees, popping off the knee caps and destroying the joints keeping Annie's legs stable. Finally, coming from out of nowhere, Sasha and Connie shot their cables into Annie's shoulders, using their forward momentum to pull the Female Titan over onto it's face.

The monster hit the ground with a mighty thud. Mikasa, her eyes glowing red with anger, immediately went for the kill, shooting forth and aiming her blades at Annie's nape. It was time to finally end this!

Unfortunately, as Mikasa was about to strike, the Female Titan stood back up, thrashing about and screaming in agony. Jean quickly sprang into action, plucking Mikasa from the air and hauling her to safety.

Following up, Krista and Ymir drew their blades. Seeing an opportunity, they zipped up to Annie's neck to finish her off. Unfortunately, one of Annie's arms had managed to heal in her rampage, and she immediately used it to smack Ymir out of the air.

Foregoing the mission at hand, Krista immediately went to her girlfriends aid. "YMIR!"

Ymir shakily sat up, cursing under her breath. "Damn it. Damn it! My arm..."

Krista grimaced as Ymir held up her left arm, snapped completely in half, bone visibly jutting from her skin. Krista teared began to help Ymir up. "Are you going to be okay?! Please! You have to be-"

Ymir held up her right hand. "Don't freak out babe. We can't afford to freak out now."

Ymir's attention immediately went from Krista and her broken arm to Bertolt and Reiner, both having been standing there the entire time, watching everyone else fight. Ymir scowled and yelled at them. "WHY ARE YOU TWO LAZY FUCKS JUST _STANDING THERE_?! GET TO FUCKING WORK!"

Ymir made her way up to Bertolt and Reiner as Krista messily began to splint her arm. Using her good hand, Ymir seized Bertolt by his shirt collar. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING?!"

Soon enough, they were joined by their other fellow Scouts, all of whom had determined that it was too dangerous to try and kill Annie as she thrashed about. Samus shook her head as the others all glared at Bertolt and Reiner. "What in the world are you two up to? Why are you just standing there? We need your help!"

Finally, Bertolt managed to stammer out a coherent sentence. "Annie...that...that CAN'T be Annie!"

Reiner cringed as the Female Titan screamed in agony, falling back to its knees in utter pain. "Bertolt. Come on man, stay cool. It's-"

Grimacing, Bertolt shoved Reiner back and ran towards the wimpering Female Titan. "ANNIE! What's going on! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!"

The others watched on as tears streamed down Bertolt's cheeks. Many looks of disdain drooped into outright pity. Sasha took a step forward. "Bertolt. Please, calm down. We need you buddy..."

Bertolt ignored her and continued to cry out. "ANNIE!"

Levi shook his head, turning to Samus. "He's hysterical. We'll just have to work around him."

Samus nodded. "Right...Everyone! Gather up! While she's down, we'll fish her out of there and make sure that she's dead this time around!"

Trepidaciously, everyone nodded and began to ready themselves. Samus frowned at Ymir, notcing her busted arm. "Ymir, you're injured. You stay here and watch Bertolt and Reiner..."

Ymir nodded and placed her free hand on Bertolt's shoulder, vainly attempting to comfort the sobbing Scout. Samus turned to the others and nodded. "Is everyone ready?"

Hoisting up their swords, the other Scouts nodded. Samus cocked her cannon. "Okay then. Let's finish th-"

Suddenly, Samus was interrupted by the popping and crackling of the speaker around Annie's neck. And then, by the sound a a very familiar, very evil cackle. Samus grunted as she glared down at the Female Titan. "Ridley."

Ridley giggled with glee. "So, Hunter, how do you like my brand new weapon?! I worked really hard on making it. Hours upon hours of work and twisting and turning and morphing and changing...AND THIS IS THE END RESULT! Of course it's just a beta test...but I think Project: Ridlannie is a roaring success!"

Samus scowled at the painfully shuddering Female Titan. She shook her head and cried out. "How the Hell did you do this?! This...how did you make this MONSTROSITY?!"

Ridley chuckled to himself. "Oh Hunter...how short your memory is..."

Samus cocked her head. Ridley chuckled again. "Do you not recall the reason you chased me to this miserable rock? The Splicing Technology?"

Samus' eyes widened. "Oh my God..."

Ridley preened to himself. "Oh yes. Such amazing technology that the Federation managed to construct..."

Samus stared piteously at Annie. "So...you spliced her with your DNA?"

Ridley snorted. "Yes. Of course. That was my original plan. And, in a way, it still is. You see Hunter...I'm stuck on this planet for the time being. So, I'm going to be forced to alter slightly. Rather than splice my DNA into my crew, as I wanted to do, I'm going to use the resources on this planet to make myself the army of my dreams. Hopefully...the ones that I splice next won't scream as much as this one did..."

Bertolt's face twisted into a mask of pure anger. "WHAT?!"

Ridley chuckled once more. "Oh yes, young one, yes. She screamed quite a bit! When I was splicing her, when I was modifying her, when I was scraping her mind for information...I'm surprised that she didn't die from the pain. She was practically begging me to let her die after the first hour..."

Bertolt's face was practically glowing red. But, as he was about to scream at Ridley again, Reiner interrupted him. "Scraped her mind for information? What do you mean by that?!"

Ridley snickered to himself. "Oh...I just probed her mind for information. And, boy, did I learn a lot. This one made for a good Beta test, like I said, but now, with the knowledge that I've gleaned...I'll be able to form an army unlike anything the Federation has ever dealt with. And, Hunter, once I'll dispatched you...there will truly be nothing to stop me!"

Annie, finally having made it back to her feet, screeched in rage and pain. Ridley sighed. "Oh yes...you're damaged aren't you? I suppose we should give your abilities a nice exercise. So, Annie, be a dear...and let's try out your Metroid capabilities.

Pastor Nick was calm as he preached his sermon to the church of terrified people in front of him. "Brothers and Sisters! There is no need to worry. This wraithe that is currently afflicting our beautiful Walls is not but a divine punishment. It is a punishment sent down by God himself to scourge those sinners and heretics within the Scouting Division. The fools who dare leave our lovely Walls in search of their heretical knowledge! Fear not, my children. Once they have been duly smoten, we will all-"

Suddenly, Pastor Nick found himself interrupted by one of his flock. "Pastor, behind you!"

Nick turned in disgust. "What are you speaking of, ch-"

The Pastor's eyes widened in fear as the shadow of Ridlannie's tail loomed in front of the cathedral's stained glass window. And then, before anyone could react, it burst through, sending the Pastor flying into the pews.

Briefly knocked out, Pastor Nick woke up to a horrific sight. To his terror, the prehinsile tendril that smashed through his window had impaled everyone. The Pastor looked on as the moaning and screaming spectacle before him cried out for help. Many of the people skewered on the end of the sinister vine still vainly called for assistance.

And then their calls were silenced. The tail glowed, a sickening golden glow, sucking all of the life out of it's unfortunate occupants, leaving them shriveled and gray. Kneeling in the wreckage of his church, Pastor Nick could do naught but look on as his entire slaughtered flock were all hauled away, completely lifeless.

The Scouts looked on in terror and disgust as Annie's tail came back, skewered with the lifeless reamins of at least 50 humans. Annie, herself, looked completely sickened as she reluctantly ran her tail through her fangs, shredding the corpses off and swallowing every last morsel.

And then, to the Scouts horror, Ridlannie did something no one expected: as she swallowed the last gulp of humanity, her body twisted and expanded, growing another, monsterous 4-meters. As they all stood, stunned into silence, Ridley began to laugh again. "Excellent. I honestly wasn't sure that those modifications would acutally work! For once, I'm pleased to have been proved wrong! Once I-"

Suddenly, Mikasa interrupted Ridley, her voice cold. "Do you think this is scary?"

All of the Scouts looked at Mikasa, staring as she drew her blades. "If you think that spectacle was scary, I'll show you something truly terrifying. As, I'm not sure how you're watching this...but I can guarantee you that you're about to see your weapon, your "beta test" as you called it, sliced into little, unrecognizable pieces."

Ridley cackled. "I see. Annie, her first! Kill the one in the scAARRRRRGHH! DAMMIT!"

Samus flinched. "What the Hell?"

Ridley growled under his breath. "Annie. Kill! I'm off to handle a problem..."

Levi was perturbed as Ridley's voice stopped. "What the fuck was that?!"

Mikasa sneered and shook her head. "Who cares?! ATTACK!"

Mikasa, to the surprise of everyone else, stormed into battle towards the Female Titan, swords drawn and eyes glowing, ready to put Annie to her end. Soon enough, Mike, Levi, and Nanaba all followed. And, to Annie's dismay, the four of them began to swarm and take the Female Titan apart.

Meanwhile, Samus and the 104th Trainees all stood in awe of the information they had just been relayed. For a few moments, none of them dared to speak, and the Connie cracked a smile. "That thing...it turned Annie into what she is right now...that means...Annie didn't betray us! We...we can save her and-"

Samus quickly interrupted. "I don't want to dash your hopes, Connie, but Annie was still the Female Titan before she was...this...no matter what, she's still our enemy...and we have to stop her from hurting anyone else!"

Giving no one a chance to voice their concerns, Samus leapt into battle, cannon at the ready. Bertolt and Reiner watched in horror as Samus, not wasting a second, blasted Annie's left knee, sending her crumbling to the ground.

Sasha frowned. "No matter what...she was still our enemy..."

Bertolt shook his head. "NO! I...I can't do this! Reiner! I...I can't..."

Reiner frowned at Bertolt, watching as tears built up in his friends eyes. "Then you don't have to. None of us have to do this. We shouldn't be forced to kill one of our oldest friends...no matter what she's done...so, rather than attack to kill, I'm going to go and try to pacify her!"

Reiner jumped into the air, activating his ODM Gear. "If any of you want to try and help save Annie, then follow me! Otherwise, stay out of harms way!"

Watching Reiner zip towards the fight, the other members of the 104th took a moment to consider there options. Finally, Jean spoke up. "Whether we side with Mikasa and Samus or side with Reiner, we can't just stand here and do nothing while they fight. So, Ymir, you stay here with Bertolt, the rest of us will go out there and lend a hand..."

Jean turned to the others, Sasha, Connie, and Krista, and smiled. "Sorry guys. I'm leading us to our probable deaths...again..."

Quickly though, Jean was surprised by the others smiling back. Sasha nodded at her friend. "We believe in you Jean, let's get going!"

Jean nodded and sighed, and then the four of them joined the others in the fight.

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


	25. Chapter 25: Fall

_Legal Statement: I do not own Attack on Titan, Metroid or any of the Characters mentioned in the following story. Everything in the story is the respective property Hajime Isayama and of Nintendo. This is purely a non-profit fan based parody. Please, support the official release!_

 _A/N: Thanks for sticking around this long guys. I appreciate every one of you who reads this. Like I said, this is the "Season Finale" for Attack on Metroid. I have something I've been meaning to go back and finish for a while now. So, if you like my work with Ace Attorney, stay tuned to that! Either way, I really do appreciate your attention and hope you enjoy this Chapter, I worked for forever on it! XD_

 **Chapter 25: Fall**

Hanji angrily slammed her fist onto the floor as Eren laid there, still unresponsive. "Dammit all! We're running out of time. Why won't you wake up?!"

Armin flinched at Hanji's shouting. "Please, don't get worked up ma'am. Samus and Captain Levi are leading the charge out there, I'm sure-"

Armin was immediately cut off by a large mass crashing through the ceiling, landing in a heap on the other side of the basement. He and Hanji ran over to the crumpled form and Hanji grimaced.

Staring at the broken and unconscious form of Mike Zacharius, Hanji shuddered. Her worst fears were coming true. Hanji turned from Mike and ran over to her ODM Gear, hastily grabbing it and strapping it on.

As Hanji put on her gear, however, a miracle occurred. Eren finally began to stir.

Armin quickly grabbed onto his friend, helping him into a sitting postion. Eren groaned as he ran his hand through his hair. "Wh...what's going on? What happened?"

Hanji tightened the final strap to her gear. "The Female Titan kicked your ass. Now, Armin and Mina, fill Eren in on everything that's happened and help him prepare to fight! I have to get out there right now!"

Armin grimaced. "You're leaving?!"

Hanji nodded. "They need me out there to support them! But, more importantly, we need Eren! So get to motivating him and get him ready!"

After watching Hanji zip out the hole in the ceiling, Armin and Mina turned to one another, and then to Eren. Things clearly weren't going well for the Survey Corps and, to make matters worse, Eren clearly wasn't up to this task at the moment. But, they had their orders. As the Female Titan roared in the distance, the two of them began to debrief Eren, hoping that he might be prepared to face the problem at hand.

The Scouts all darted around in the air, hoping to avoid the veritable hurricane of slashes and swipes that stood before them. Ridlannie wasn't even beginning to lose steam and yet the Scouts were already at their limits. Nevermind attacking the monstrosity that towered before them, they were lucky to just be staying alive. And none of them wanted to end up like Mike, smashed from the air whilst trying to go for the nape.

Nanaba shouted at the others. "Maybe we could try to trip it! If we bring it down we could take advantage of it's confusion and go for the kill!"

Levi frowned. "I'd be willing to try anything at this point!"

Levi and Nanaba nodded at one another and zipped forward, deftly flying inbetween Ridlannie's legs and swiftly tying the beasts ankles together. Then, each using a building as leverage, they heaved on their cables and tried to bring Ridlannie down.

But, as the monster began to fall, it stabbed it's tail into the ground, anchoring it in place and giving it a chance to counterstrike. Levi, in spite of his injured leg, managed to evade the beasts strike. Nanaba was not so lucky. As she tried to get away, her ODM hook got caught inbetween two pieces of rubble.

She could only watch, in terror, as Annie's claws came sailing at her, slashing her across the ruins of Stohess and into the remains of what used to be a bakery.

Hanji, having witnessed the entire spectacle, stopped off for a moment to checkon her comrade, removing her from the pile of bread she was laying in and grimacing at the hideous claw marks on her back. After checking to make sure that Nanaba was still alive, Hanji gently placed her friend back onto the floor and zipped off to join the others in combat.

Joined by Hanji, the Scouts continued their losing battle. Despite occasionally getting in an off hit, the Scouts were quickly being overwhelmed by Annie's sheer, animalistic rage. Connie was the next to fall. Zipping down by Annie's ankle, he sank his blades into her Achille's tendon, trying to cut her down at the feet. Annie responded by quickly whipping around, taking Connie for a spin and cracking him into the side of a building.

"Connie!"

Jean cried out for his friend and immediately went for vengeance. He fared slightly better that Connie, getting close enough to the Female Titan's face to take a slash at her eyes, shallowly slicing the left one. But, it wasn't enough. Annie lurched forward, leaping over the other Scouts attacking her legs and attempting to chomp on Jean. Jean zipped backto avoid the gaping maw of teeth, but was eventually backed into a corner. Ridlannie smirked and slammed her head into him, smashing Jean through a glass clock face and sending him reeling into the mechanisms inner workings.

Reiner and Krista were the next to try. Krista zipped up to Annie's nape, slashing at the back of the monsters neck but wildly missing. Annie turned and tried to punch Krista from the air, but the young Scout dodged, flinging her blades into Annie's arm. Reiner went for a different approach. Despairing at Annie's predicament, he tried to reason with his former friend. "Annie! Please! I know that you're in there! You can't let this overtake you! We still need you to-"

Annie, completely uncaring, smacked Reiner out of the air, not even watching as the big guy smashed against the street and tumbled into a nearby sewer drain, the only thing keeping him from falling in being his incredibly thick chest.

Gritting her teeth, Krista went for another attack,but she was no match by herself. She shot her cables past Annie, trying to rocket up behind her and take another stab at her nape. But, Annie quickly turned around and slashed Krista's cables.

Krista stared in horror as her forward momentum sent her flying into Annie's face and she was smashed from the air by a swift headbutt.

Mikasa grimaced as she collected fresh ODM blades from Connie, taking care to avoid touching his broken ribs. "I'm sorry Connie. Stay safe. Sasha and I will take care of this..."

Sasha shivered as she backed into Mikasa. "Krista just went down...we're all that's left Mikasa!"

"You're not all that's left..."

Mikasa and Sasha turned to see Samus, Levi, and Hanji walk up to them. Levi's limp had gotten worse. Samus shook her head. "Sorry guys. I had to patchup Levi's bleeding. Are the other's okay?"

Sasha shook her head. "Annie beat them all. Connie's ribs are shattered, Jean got smashed into a clock...we have no idea if Krista and Reiner are okay..."

Levi coughed, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. "Nanaba and Mike are out too...is Eren ready?"

Hanji shrugged. "I left him in Armin and Mina's care. But, last I saw off him, he was nowhere near ready..."

Mikasa, her blades fully restocked, turned to the others. "Then we go on without him. The five of us are some of the best these Walls have to offer, we can handle this."

Sasha frowned, her eyes hitting the floor. "Well, the four of you are-"

Levi smacked Sasha in the back of her head, glaring at her as she cowered from him. "This is no time to doubt yourself. At the moment, you're just as viable to take her down as any of us. Now, shape the fuck up and get ready!"

Sasha swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded. "Y-yessir!"

The four remaning Scouts and Samus all looked at one another and nodded, the then the five of them took off.

Levi, Mikasa, and Hanji led the attack. The three skilled Scouts all managed to avoid the beasts claws, quickly scaling their way up to her face and launching their attack. Levi went in first, dishing out two deep cuts into Annie's pupils. Mikasa and Hanji came up right behind him, plunging their blades further into Annie's eyes.

Watching as Annie clawed at her face, Samus smirked and entered her Morph Ball. Rolling forward, she knew what she was going to do. All Samus had to do was scale Annie's body, force her jaws open, and fire a Super Missile into her mouth. If all things went well, this would allow her to blow Annie out of her Titan form and then go for the kill.

Samus quickly sped up Annie's leg, hopping over cinches in the Female Titan's armor and speedily making her way to the monsters face. Samus popped out of her Morph Ball, rearing back for a huge left hook.

Unfortunately, Annie, in the time it took Samus to get to her face, had managed to dig the blades out of her right eye. With that healed, Annie was able to counter Samus' attempt at an attackby quickly dodging. And then, to Samus' dismay, Annie swiftly counterattacked. Samus had no time to react as Annie lunged forward and bit down on her left arm.

The others watched on, expecting Samus to pull her arm out and immediately return fire. But then, something no one expected to happen happened. Samus screamed out in pain. Sasha and Levi's eyes widened in fear, Hanji's jaw dropped. Samus screamed out thrashing and smashing her cannon arm into Annie's face until her teeth finally shattered.

Samus fell from the air, firing off a defiant shot into Annie's face and sending her reeling. The bounty hunter fell onto the rooftop next to her compatriots and immediately began to favor her left arm, whimpering and squeezing it close to her chest. "MOTHERFUCKER!"

Sasha and Hanji immediately ran to their fallen comrade. Hanji pulled at her grip. "Samus! Let me see your arm! Maybe we can-"

Sasha clamped her hand over her mouth, trying to hold back the urge to vomit. Mikasa and Levi both came up to her and could only stare in horror. Samus held her injured arm in front of her face and shook her head. "MOTHERFUCK!"

Samus' arm trembled. It barely had enough strength left in it to stay up in the air. Samus grimaced at the sight of the grizzly injury, she could see the sunlight of dusk shining through the hole in her forearm. "FUCK ME! AGH!"

Levi, his face streaked with concern, helped the aging bounty hunter into a sitting position. "Are you still able to fight?!"

Samus groaned. "Yeah. I can still fight...Ugh...her teeth got sharper since the last...time..."

Hanji sighed, knowing that the situation was only getting worse and worse. "Mikasa, Sasha, stay with Samus while she recovers. Levi and I are going to try to go for the kill again..."

Levi and Hanji both rushed the Female Titan. They turned to each other and nodded and got to work. Levi rushed in first, reverse gripping his blade and executing his buzzsaw manuever. But, Annie, remembering this move, knew exactly how to counteract it. Before Levi could connect his attack, Annie seized him from the air, squeezing him into her grip. Levi attempted to struggle out of Annie's cluthc, but the monster didn't let up, squeezing the air out of Levi and tossing him into a nearby rooftop.

Levi shakily tried to force himself up. He looked back at his injured leg and groaned. There was no doubt about it, it was definitely broken this time. His foot was completely twisted backwards and shimmering red clarat was oozing from a break in his skin. Levi tried to drag himself back up, he saw that Hanji was struggling by herself, but he fell, completely unconscious.

Hanji, meanwhile, was distracted. Between fighting Ridlannie and turning to checkon Levi, all of her attention was taken up. She kept looking over at Levi, making sure he was okay as he tried to struggle back up. But, to Hanji's dismay, on her final glance at Levi, he was down. Unmoving. Hanji immediately broke engagement and began zipping over to her friend. "LEVI!"

This was the distraction Annie needed. As Hanji went to check on her friend, Annie took a deep breath a spewed a stream of intense flames at Hanji. Turning and seeing the stream of hellfire coming at her, Hanji barely had enough time to hook a piece of metal with her ODM Gear and reel it over to her, using it to keep herself from being roasted. But, despite this, the impact of the jet of fire still sent Hanji flying into the unforgiving street below, smashing her into the ground hard enough to crack it. That, combined with the heat, was enough to render Hanji unconscious.

Now, with a moment to herself, Annie stopped to heal. And, as she healed, she began to sniff.

Over on the rooftop with Samus, Mikasa was furious. "Now it's just the three of us. Dammit! Are you two ready?!"

Sasha nervously nodded, drawing two of her blades. Samus, with quite a bit of effort, got to her feet, painfully cocking her arm cannon with her injured hand. "Let's just get this over with...we've got to stop her..."

Mikasa pulled out blades of her own. "We will. She's going to-"

Suddenly, to the three women's surprise, Ridlannie did a complete 180, turning on her heels and facing in a new direction. The direction that they all had come from. Samus' eyes widened. "Oh no..."

And then, Annie reared backand screamed into the sky. "EEEERRRRRRRRRRREEEENNNN!"

And, immediately after, she began sprinting directly to where Eren, Armin, and Mina were hidden away. Sasha's jaw dropped. "OH SHIT!"

Mikasa and Samus' repsonse was to immediately give chase. Sasha soon began to follow and, with a heightened sense of haste propelling them, the three ran to intercept and stop Annie.

Eren sat in disgust and disbelief as Armin finished his explanation. Armin grimaced. "So please, Eren, we need you to get ready. You might be the only person who can handle her at this point."

Eren buried his face in his hands, shaking his head. "Annie...dammit..."

Armin frowned. "Eren...she tried to kill us! Even before all of this...before whatever happened to her, whatever Ridley did, she was still the Female Titan...she still tried to kill us..."

Eren glared at Armin, standing up and yelling at him. "But she was our friend Armin! Remember boot camp?! She was our friend there! And...Ridley was here before the 57th Expedition! Maybe she-"

Armin glared back at Eren. "She killed the Special Operations Squad, Eren! She killed Oluo! And Eld! And Gunther! And she would've killed Petra if it weren't for Samus! She's not our friend anymore! She just wants us all dead!"

Eren raged backat Armin. "But she didn't kill me! Back in the Forest of Giant Trees! She didn't kill me Armin! She took me! She...whatever is making her do this...it's clear that she doesn't want to! She's still our ally somewhere in there!"

Eren turned to Mina, who was sitting in the corner. "Mina! Back me up here!"

Armin turned to Mina as well. "Mina! I...I'm not thrilled with the concept of hurting Annie either. But...she hurt us first! And look at what she's doing now! Even if she's being forced to attack us somehow...we can't just let her rampage and kill because of it! Stohess is already ruined! We can't let her raze the rest of Wall Sina, right?!"

Mina looked back and forth between the two. It was clear that she was struggling to come up with an answer. Eren growled at her. "Mina!"

Armin plead with her. "Mina!"

Mina shook her head. And then, as she opened her mouth, giant claws stuck through the ceiling and ripped it open. Armin, Eren, and Mina all stared in terror at the sight of Ridlannie glaring down at them.

The three of them were frozen in fear as reached down to grab them, her sinister claws curled up, Her talons glinting like knives. Armin drew his blades, ready to feebly try to defend them from Annie, only to be surprised when the monster was suddenly sent flying away.

Samus landed next to the three of them, blood pouring from her arm wound. Moments later, she was joined by Sasha and Mikasa. Struggling to stay aware and coherent, in spite of the blood loss, Samus went up to Eren. Grabibng him by the scruff of his shirt, Samus slurred at the Titan Boy. "Trans...form...NOW!"

Eren stared down at Samus, his face covered in the shadow of hesitation. "I can't Samus! Earlier today...when we were being transported to the trial...you know how I feel about this!"

Samus shook her head. "Eren...we thought she was dead then. Now she's killing us! We need you to-"

Sasha cried out. "EVERYONE LOOK OUT!"

To the surprise of everyone else, suddenly Sasha shoved them all out of the way. They all looked on as, to their horror, the Potato Girl was smashed by Ridlannie's tail. They all landed on the ground, but Mikasa immediately sprang up. "SASHA?!"

When the dust settled, to Mikasa's horror, Sasha was left lying, battered and beaten, in a pile of rubble. Mikasa gritted her teeth, immediately drawing her swords out and turning to Eren. Eren stared at her, feeling genuine fear. "Mikasa...?"

And then, something unprecedented occurred. Mikasa stormed up to Eren, grabbing him by his shirt and screaming at him. "WILL YOU MAN UP AND HELP US ALREADY?! EVEN IF THAT BITCH WAS YOUR FRIEND, WE'RE ALL YOUR FRIENDS TOO! AND YOU'RE LETTING US ALL DIE BECAUSE YOU CAN'T GET IT TOGETHER!"

Mikasa threw Eren to the ground and leapt from the rubble. Landing on the street, she came face-to-face with Annie.

Mikasa was the first to speak, growling as she glared a hole through the Female Titan. "You die this time. No excuses. No one to stop me. This is it Annie!"

Annie gritted her teeth. And then she released a ghastly wail. The horrifying screech echoed through the ruins of Stohess, and then Annie and Mikasa charged one another.

Mikasa, however, was not in the mood for games, acting more aggresively than she ever had before, Mikasa blitzed Annie. To Annie's surprise, the force of Mikasa's tackle had actually sent her stumbling back. And then Mikasa got to work. She drew her blades and began to shred through Annie's defenses. Deftly slicing off pieces of her armor and shredding the muscles underneath.

Annie tried her hardest to defend herself, but Mikasa was relentless, taking shots at her arms, legs, spine, and eyes with every swing of the blades. After what seemed like an endless time caught in an angry storm of blades and fury, Annie's healing ability was finally overwhelmed. The Female Titan fell to her knees and was unable to move.

Wasting no time, not even taking long enough to bid Annie farewell, Mikasa rocketed up to the nape, raised her swords into the air, and plunged them directly into Annie's nape, smirking when she felt that she had hit something solid.

Within the nape of her Titan form, Annie was barely aware. She was in so much pain, she didn't want to do this anymore. She closed her eyes and wept to herself. She just wanted to be home with her father again. She just wanted this all to be over. And then she felt two blades plunge into her back.

The Female Titan erupted back to life, screaming in rage and pain, and began to wildly try to buck Mikasa off. Mikasa tried her best to hold on, but she felt her grip slipping. And she knew that, if she were to be thrown off her, she'd be defenseless in Annie's counterattack. Mikasa pulled herself into her blades and grabbed their hilts. "I need to...I need to finish the cut..."

Mikasa steadied herself, planting her feet on Annie's back and tugging at the blades, pulling the cut wider and wider.

Annie screamed louder, she knew that she had to stop Mikasa, and quick, or she'd be dead. In a panic, and lacking any other option, Annie did the simplest thing she could think of. As Mikasa pulled her swords further and further, trying to complete the cut, Annie crouched down, and then she lept back, crashing back first onto the ground. And then, she immediately jumped back up and bucked Mikasa into the air.

Mikasa was stunned. Her ODM Gear was smashed. And her head was bleeding hard. She knew that this was it. Holding her last remaining blade in her right hand, and clutching her scarf in her left, Mikasa cried out. "EREN! TRANSFORM! PLEASE!"

Annie smirked as she saw Mikasa falling from the air. She jumped into the air and opened her mouth. And then, as Mikasa screamed her last words, Annie chomped down. The Female Titan landed on the ground and swallowed. Now, there was only one more obstacle between her and Eren.

Eren cried out as he watched the Female Titan swallow his sister whole. "MIKASA!"

Samus screamed and charged forth. "GODDAMMIT!"

Ignoring her injured arm, Samus cocked her cannon and ran forth, shooting a massive Charge Beam at Annie. Annie turned and opened her mouth, shooting a stream of searing flames back at the bounty hunter. The two blasts clashed and began sturggling against one another for supremacy. In spite of the fire, Samus continued to walk forward, her armor's temperature shielding keeping her safe as she muscled through the blaze. She needed to get to Annie's stomach and get Mikasa out before she was digested.

Samus shook her head as her armor echoed messages from her head. " **WARNING: ARM CANNON POWER SUPPLY FAILING. TEMPERATURE SHIELDING FAILING. ARMOR CAPACITY FAILING.** "

Samus screamed at her armor. "I KNOW! SHUT UP! I HAVE TO-"

Suddenly, the stream of flames stopped. In her surprise, Samus was caught off guard by Annie suddenly taking a swipe at her with her claws, shredding the ground at her feet and sending Samus limply flying into the air. And then, with a massive swing of her tail, Annie sent Samus sailing into a nearby drydocked boat.

Giving Samus no quarter, Annie immediately shot her flame breath at the ship, setting it ablaze with Samus inside.

Now, with all obstacles out of her way, Annie turned and went back to the main object of her desire: nothing could stop her from getting to Eren now.

Or so she thought.

As Annie began to make her way to Eren once more, a familiar face stepped out from the rubble. With tears streaming down her face, Mina Carolina stood inbetween Annie and her goal. "ANNIE!"

The Female Titan stopped in her tracks and stared down at what she once called her best friend. Mina sobbed and stared back up at her. "Please! Please stop this! You're attacking and trying to kill us all!"

Mina trembled. "Don't...don't you remember boot camp?! How we we're all friends? How we all swore to grow old together...Annie...DON'T YOU REMEMBER ANY OF THAT?!"

Mina's pleas were swiftly answered with an uncaring kick. The Female Titan struck her away and continued it's march, not even looking backat Mina crashed into the nearby aquaduct and sank into the water.

Looking down on Eren and Armin, Annie knew that she only had one job left. All she had to do was roast Eren and Armin to death...and then maybe Ridley would finally let her die. Annie opened her mouth and began charging one last flame breath.

Armin stared in horror as the flames gathered in Annie's mouth. He dropped his swords fromhis hands and grabbed Eren by the shoulders. "EREN! You need to trnasform right now! PLEASE!"

Eren stuttered, his eyes locked on the Female Titan. Armin cried out to him. "EREN!"

Eren remained silent. Armin squeezed his eyes shut. And then, he snapped them open and screamed in Eren's face. "SHE _KILLED_ MIKASA, EREN!"

Eren's face twisted in rage. He glared up at Annie and, as she rained burning death down on them, raised his hand up to his mouth.

The Female Titan sighed in relief as the fire raged in front of her. The mission that Ridley had sent her on was done. Now...now maybe her torment could end.

But then, to Annie's surprise and horror, from the towering inferno she had lit off, the Rogue Titan came forth, it's skin charred and erupting with steam, it's blood boiling so hard that it's veins were visibly glowing. The Rogue Titan came running forth and planted it's fist into the Female Titan's face, sending her tumbling bac, through the rubble, and into the remains of the Stohess Marketplace.

Annie tried to get up, but was quickly taken down again. Eren swept her feet from under her and rained down a flurry of punches all across her body, pummeling her into the ground and crumbling her armor. And then, with one final stomp to Annie's face, Eren succeeded in literally beating her into the ground.

With Annie temporarily stunned. Eren took a moment to step back, reach into his hair, and pulled out a confused and terrified Armin. Armin looked up at the Rogue Titan and uttered a single word. "Eren...?"

Eren responded by giving Armin a reassuring pat on the head. And then, he turned and gave the Female Titan an epic haymaker, smashing her to the ground. Quickly followed up by a massive kick to the face, launching her lower jaw from it's joints.

Annie leapt back up and swiped at Eren with her claws. However, Eren responded with several massive punches to the face. Annie swung her right arm at him, trying to knock him over, but her arm was shortly seized and torn from the socket.

Annie stumbled back, but Eren kept up the offense, stomping on her knee, breaking her leg in half, and then sinking his fingers into her stomach. And then, with one mighty tear, Eren ripped Annie's stomach open and looked through it's contents.

To his dismay, there was no sign of Mikasa. He was too late.

Eren roared in anguish and pressed another punch directly into Annie's face. Soon after, he ran he seized Annie by her hair, lifting her into the air and slamming her onto his knee, breaking her spine. Annie tried stabbing at Eren with her tail, but Eren was too quick. He grabbed Annie's tail and stabbed it through her gut. And then, Eren continued bashing Annie's face in with his bare fists.

Standing there, one injured, the other in disbelief, Ymir and Bertolt watched as Eren continued to pound Annie into the ground. His offense was unrelenting and Annie couldn't fight back. Ymir was amazed at what she saw. "Jeez...he's really learned how to fight comfortably in that form. That took forever..."

Bertolt remained silent, frozen in fear and silence. Ymir turned to him. "Hey! Bertl! Are you okay?"

Bertolt shook his head no. It was clear, the day had had it's wear on him. He was terrified and speechless. Ymir clamped her good hand on his shoulder. "Bertolt..."

Meanwhile, Eren and Annie continued to grapple. Annie, despite her size advantage, was being overwhelmed by her angry, more focused, smaller opponent. She needed to create space, to refocus, but Eren was giving her any chances. He pounded away at her, hitting her so hard that her armor was able to grow back. She was naked and afraid...and Eren's inhibition's were all but gone.

She needed room to breath.

In desperation, Annie did the only thing she could think of, she shoved Eren back. He didn't go far, just ten feet, but it gave her the room she needed. It allowed her to hoist Eren up into the air and toss him away from her. She spun around, holding Eren in her hands, and hurdled him across the burning remains of Stohess.

Ymir flinched in horror at the sight of it. Eren had been tossed like a toy...AND HE WAS COMING RIGHT AT THEM! Ymir ran and slid across the ground, hoping that she was safely out of the way. But, she looked back and saw something horrible. "BERTOLT! MOVE!"

Bertolt remained silent. He looked up at Eren's body and let loose one last silent yelp. And then, Eren landed on top of him. Immediately, Eren sprang backup and ran back at Annie, his fist drawn.

Ymir sprang to her feet and quickly scaled the rubble back to where she and Bertolt were standing. Pushing herself onto the rooftop with her left arm, Ymir reached out with her right to grab what she thought was Bertolt's hand, only to pull up his severed arm. Ymir stared piteously down at the blood pool that used to be her friend. "Bertolt..."

Eren ran back at Annie, his fists raised in defiance and gave her a nother brutal pummeling. Annie took a swipe with her claws, but her efforts were met with several brutal fists to the chest and jaw. Annie tried to stand back up to return a strike, but was brought backto the ground with a massive right hook. Immediately after, Eren jumped onto Annie and slammed his fist into her face again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and then, after grinding the Female Titan's face into nothing, Eren jammed his tumbs into her eye sockets, popping both eyes.

Eren roared out and reared back, looking to land one, final, massive punch. But, as he slammed his fist down, Annie caught it in her mouth.

Eren tried to pull his fist loose, but Annie immediately went on the offensive. She picked Eren up in her mouth and swung him around, sinking her teeth deeper and deeper in the process. And then, after a few minutes of popm and circumstance, Annie began bashing the Rogue Titan into the ground. Swinging him like a huge chew toy.

And then, with one last massive slam, Annie prepare to finish him. She stomped her foot down on the Rogue Titan's remaining arm, holding him in place. And then, she aimed her tail right behind his nape.

Annie drew her tail back, readying to stab and kill Eren off for good. But, as she was about to get the kill, the Female Titan looked down at Eren and something unprescedented happened: tears began to stream down her face.

Eren looked up at her, his face creased in rage and she shook her head. She couldn't do it. Deep down inside, even if Eren and all the rest of her friends hated her now, she couldn't bring herself to kill him. Deep down...she loved him.

But, unfortunately for Eren and Annie, a familiar voice erupted from the loudspeaker collared around her neck. "ANNIE! What the Hell are you doing?! You killed the Scouts, you killed the Hunter! Now, kill him or I'll turn your miserable life into a real living Hell!"

Eren roared at Ridley's voice. Annie glared down at him and all the emotion drained from her face. She couldn't take the torment anymore. This was it. Annie drew her tail back and aimed it at Eren's nape.

And then her teeth shattered.

Eren's arm came loose and he managed to duck down just in time for Annie's tail to sail past him and impale her directly through the stomach. In retalition, Eren grabbed Annie's ankles and tossed her into the air.

As Annie went up, she stared in shock as the thing that shattered her teeth came jumping from her mouth. Mikasa, her jacket completely burned off, her scarf singed, and her skin seared glared at Annie, and then she threw her last remaining blade into Annie's right eye. Eren followed this up with another wicked haymaker, sending Annie crashing through the rubble.

With no ODM to catch herself with, Mikasa braced herself to hit the ground, but was surprised when she was caught midair. She looked up at her savior and saw a welcome sight: Armin, with tears streaming down his face.

Together, the two of them landed on the rooftop and,finally having a moment to rest, Mikasa screamed out in pain. Armin looked at her in horror and saw why. Mikasa's arms and shoulders were covered in second, and in some places third, degree burns.

As Mikasa screamed and thrashed, pain jolting all throughout her body, Eren came running up, kneeling next to the building Armin and his sister were resting on and looking like he had just seen a ghost.

Mikasa, after taking a moment to express her anguish, stood up. With pained tears streaking down her face, Mikasa turned to Armin and then to Eren. "I'm serious this time. Let's end this! No more screwing around..."

Over at the aquaduct, Samus burst from the water. With some effort, she pulled herself from the man made river and pulled Mina out with her, making sure to get her as far from the burning ship as possible. After taking a moment to catchher breath, Samus pulled off her helmet and began administering CPR to Mina. Chest compressions and Mouth-to-Mouth over and over until, with a sputtering cough, Mina was breathing once more.

Samus gingerly dapped her fist on Mina's chest and sighed. "You tried your best. I know it was probably hard for you to face that monster..."

Mina let loose one more violent cough, but then she became still and peaceful. Samus nodded. "Stay alive kid. I'll go help finish this..."

Samus stood up and cocked her cannon, her left arm was completely numb. And then, she ran back towards the fight.

Mikasa and Armin charged into Annie's face, each flinging their blades at her eyes. Mikasa sneered as she landed and tossed two more. Sasha's ODM Gear didn't fit quite right, and it was rubbing her burns the wrong way, but it only made her angrier. She and Armin went at Annie again, each tossing another set of blades at her eyes. They knew this wasn't actually damaging Annie, as she simply swiped the blades from the air, but it was distracting her from the more dangerous threat in front of her.

While Mikasa and Armin ran interference, Eren was pounding away at Annie. Each heavy blow nearly capsizing the near defenseless Female Titan. It's armor was practically non-existent at this point and Eren's blows were doing little more than adding onto the carnage that her body had become. The Female Titan was so wounded that she was practically a walking embodiment of steam.

Taking a rest break to regain themselves and to allow Mikasa to retrieve more blades, the Shinganshina watched as Annie collapsed to the ground. After a moment, Mikasa came back,her stock replenished. "We aren't making any progress here...everytime we even get close to her nape, she manages to create enough space to recover...we need a new strategy..."

Mikasa collapsed to her knees, wincing in pain. Armin ran up to her and lightly pat her on the back. "Mikasa-"

Mikasa snapped at her friend. "Armin get your hands off me!"

Armin cowered back as Mikasa groaned, her burns were starting to get to her. And then, suddenly, Mikasa got up and walked over to Eren. "Open your mouth."

Eren complied and Mikasa crawled in, huddling up underneath Eren's tongue. Armin grimaced. "What are you doing Mikasa?"

Mikasa yelled from Eren's mouth. "My arms and shoulders are killing me! I need a minute to cool off...and we need to come up with another plan..."

Armin stroked his chin in thought. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Well...I have an idea. But...it's risky..."

Mikasa sighed. "I'm willing to take any ideas Armin. We need something here..."

Armin nodded. "Well then. For this plan, I need you to-"

The Female Titan roared out. Standing up, it's armor and wounds healed, the Female Titan charged at the Rogue Titan. Eren got into a fighting stance, ready for another round of grappling, but was surprised when, suddenly, the Female Titan's knee exploded. And, as the monster collapsed to the ground, the Morph Ball came rolling up. Samus burst forth from her spherical form and, with all her strength, punched Ridlannie in the face, sending her rumbling across the battlefield.

Taking a deep breath, Samus turned around and leapt up to Armin on the roof. She held her injured arm close and nodded at him. "So...I hear that you have a plan...?"

"Goddammit Annie!"

Samus turned in annoyance and shot a death glare at the loudspeaker around the Female Titans neck. "Ridley."

Ridley screamed from his speaker. "Get up and KILL THEM NOW OR SO HELP ME-"

A Super Rocket collided with the speaker, blowing it and Annie's lower jaw to pieces. Samus turned back to Armin and cocked her cannon. "So...I hear that you have a plan...?"

Armin nodded. "Yes. I think I have a good plan."

Samus nodded. "Okay. But...what about Mikasa? Is she okay?"

Mikasa sounded off. "I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

Samus looked around in confusion, and then stared at the Rogue Titan's mouth. "Why is Mikasa in Eren's mouth?"

Armin sighed. "She's hideously burned. And...it's part of my plan. Now, everyone, gather around! I need to quickly explain this while Annie is down..."

Meanwhile, on the ground, Hanji limped her way over to the others, carrying Levi on her shoulders. Nanaba and the other 104th Trainees all stood around Ymir as she explained the terrible news: Bertolt had been crushed in the chaos. Krista held her love close, taking care not to touch her injured left arm. Not that Ymir was the only one hurt. All of the Scouts were injured quite badly.

They all turned at the sound of footsteps to see Mike Zacharius walking up, Sasha slung over his shoulders. Jean swallowed a lump in his throat. "Please tell me that Potato Girl isn't..."

Mike sniffed. "She's alive. Hurt. But alive."

Mike turned his attention to Reiner, who was collapsed on the ground, his head laying in a pool of blood. "Is Reiner alright?"

Reiner shook his head and coughed. And then, the big guy sobbed out. "Bertolt...First Annie...now him..."

Connie gently placed his hand on the sobbing Reiner's back. "Dammit."

Hanji sighed and shook her head. "Has anyone seen Erwin?"

Levi, Nanaba, and Mike all shook their heads no. Hanji buried her face in her hands and collapsed onto her but. "Fucking perfect..."

As Hanji sat their, deep in thought, the rest of the injured Scouts all watched on as the Rogue Titan and the Female Titan charged one another once more.

Eren met Annie first, his fist colliding with her face and smashing the armor like glass. He followed this up with a flurry of punches and a well placed kick to the chest. Samus and Armin, on Eren's shoulders, provided support by tossing blades and shooting cannon blasts at her. Samus turned to Armin. "I'm not sure I'm fond of this plan Armin! It sounds like it would work, but it also sounds like a good way to get Mikasa killed!"

Armin shook his head. "I know. And I regret that! I'd do it myself if I could...but Mikasa is the only one skilled enough to do what I need her to do!"

Samus turned to Eren's mouth. "Mikasa? Are you comfortable with this?!"

Mikasa sighed. "I guess I have to be don't I? Just give me warning for when it's time."

Samus shook her head and fired off another Charge Shot. "It is a good plan I suppose...but we all deserve a really long rest after this..."

Deep within her Titan form, Annie was terrified. Ridley had made it clear before he was cut off, if she failed, he'd do worse things to her. Not to mention, Eren was relentless. And he, with Armin and Samus on his shoulders, and Mikasa having seemingly disappeared, we're utterly terrifying in their own right.

Annie didn't even have it in her to fight anymore. She had no strategy, she had no more last resorts, all she could do was toss buildings as she retreated from the monster that was hunting her.

Annie picked up a house, tossing it at Eren. However, the Rogue Titan dodged, the thrown house colliding with the Wall behind him, and smashed Annie in her face again. Annie screeched in terror as Eren grabbed her by her arms and flung her into the remains of the church. Annie shakily stood up and glared at Eren. He charged at her, fists reared back, and prepared to smash her once more. Annie opened her mouth and, doing one of the only things she could incoherently think to do, spewed flames at the approaching Rogue Titan.

Armin smirked and yelled. "NOW EREN!"

Eren nodded and fell to his side, opening his mouth and punching Annie in the gut. Continuing on, Armin barked more orders. "MIKASA GO! SAMUS GO!"

Samus complied, leaping from Eren's shoulder onto a nearby building. Mikasa, meanwhile, zipped out from Samus' mouth, covered in his brother's saliva, shot her ODM hooks into Annie's fangs, and, with no hesitation, launched herself into the stream of flames spewing from Annie's mouth. She had 12 seconds before she was roasted alive.

Annie was confused. Mikasa, for some odd reason, had just rocketed herself into her own death. However, it was no matter, Annie had Eren right where she wanted him and got ready to burn him to death. But then, something unexpected happened, Annie felt her Titan forms spine seperate from her Titan forms head.

Mikasa erupted from the back of the Female Titan's neck and then, moving quickly, she shot out her ODM hooks, turned around midair, and began zipping back towards Annie's nape.

However, unsuspecting of anything aiming at her weakspot, Annie continued her her attack on Eren, raising her tail into the air to stab him. Unfortunately for her, Armin was prepared. "EREN LET'S GO!"

Eren leapt backup, seizing Annie's tail and running past her, snatching the Female Titan into the air and, with a mighty tug, ripping out the monsters tail and spine in the process. And then, with all of her limbs disabled, Armin initiated the final part of his plan. "SAMUS! MIKASA! FINISH IT!"

Rocketing back to Annie's nape, Mikasa drew back her swords and, with a mighty swing, sliced through the Female Titan's nape. And then Samus, his cannon prepared, shot a Super Missile at it, completely blasting it out.

Finally, from the bloody display, Annie's armless, Metroid-sore-scarred form fell out. She stared up at Mikasa and Samus, completely speechless. Samus merely glared at her, but Mikasa had a sadistic smirk across her face. Happy to have finally put her hated rivals rampage to an end, Mikasa shot one final retort into Annie's face. "Fall."

And then, she and Samus got out of the way, revealing something much worse. Eren's fist hovered in the air above her, and Annie could only look on in terror as the giant fist came raining down on her, smashing the broken girl into the ground.

As the dust settled, the other injured Scouts all ran forth. By the time they had arrived, Eren had exited his Titan form, sitting on the ground next to Mikasa and Armin. Meanwhile, Samus stood over Annie's form, a Super Missile aimed directly at her face.

Levi and Hanji, both furious over everything that had happened, joined her. Levi grabbed Annie by her shirt and pulled her up close to him. "What the Hell is that monster Ridley planning?!"

Annie remained unresponsive. Levi shook her again and pulled her even closer. "WHAT IS RIDLEY PLANNING?!"

Hanji grabbed Levi and forcefully pulled him back. "LEVI! You don't know whether those sores on her faces are contagious or not! Don't get so close to her!"

Samus knelt down to Annie, stroking the cut on her head where Levi dropped her. "This isn't healing..."

Hanji flinched. "What?!"

Samus pulled open Annie's eyelids wide and took note of how dialated her pupils were. "This is...bad."

Levi sneered. "What is it?!"

Samus shook her head. "Annie...appears to be suffering from Stage 4 symptoms of Metroid Syndrome."

Hanji cocked her head. "What does that mean?"

Samus gently set Annie on the ground. "Well...she appears to be in a coma. Not to mention her healing factor isn't working. If I had to venture a guess. I'd say the Metroids in her blood are draining too much of her power. They've reduced her into a vegitative state. She's awake...but she's not aware..."

Mikasa growled, the pain from her burns getting even worse. "Then just kill her already! End this!"

Samus turned to Levi and Hanji. Levi turned to Hanji as well. Hanji shrugged. "Why are you both looking at me?!"

Levi grimaced. "With Erwin missing...you're in charge of the Survey Corps. Not to mention, you are the Head Scientist. So, what we do with this living Petri dish is up to you..."

Hanji glared down at Annie. The young vegetable had a stream of drool running out of her mouth. Hanji closed her eyes and sighed. "We...we could use her to hopefully glean some info as to what Ridley is planning. So...for now...we keep her alive. Under lock, key, and HEAVY guard, but alive..."

Levi nodded. "Right. Everyone, get over here! We need to spirit Annie Leonhart away before the Military Police and Garrison show up. Hurry!"

As the rest of her men all ran over to Annie, restraining and hiding her, wrapping her body in a tarp, Hanji walked away, deep in thought. "Dammit Erwin! Where are you?! The fallout from this is going to be a shit...show..."

Levi turned, having made sure Annie's body was properly secured, to speak to Hanji. Notcing that she was off in the distance,staring into the sky, he walked over to her. "Hanji. Hanji! We need to get going! What the Hell are you doing?!"

Wordlessly, and with a terror-streaked look on her face, Hanji pointed at Wall Sina. Following the track of her finger, Levi looked up at the Wall and was, himself, totally flabbergasted. For, up on the Wall, in the spot where the house Annie threw had hit, where the Wall had cracked, an eye was staring down at them. That eye belonged to a Titan. A Titan sealed within the Wall. Hanji and Levi stood there, the others totally unaware, staring in disbelief and shocked awe.

 _Meanwhile, in Shinganshina..._

Ridley shook his head at the sound of the electric popping coming from his speaker. "Gah! Useless human..."

Ridley glared over at Carla Yeager. "What?! Nothing to say? My experiment most likely just failed in killing your children, are you not thrilled?!"

Carla grimaced, fighting back tears and sobs as her arms slowly grew back. "I hate you! I hate you so much! Why won't you just FUCKING DIE so that I can die too?!"

Ridley sneered and seized Carla from the building top he had set her on. "Because, Carla dear, I've come to realize that, in actuality, I'm going to require your assistance in the near future..."

Carla spat at Ridley, her spit splattering against his chest plate. "Why would I ever help you?!"

Ridley chuckled. At first, his laugh was light, but then it became very, VERY dark. "Because, Carla, as much as random pain vexes me...the ONLY thing you have that can actually hurt me is when you stab yourself in the FUCKING BRAIN! But...I can easily solve that by constantly RIPPING OFF YOUR ARMS AND LEGS!"

Carla flinched in Ridley's grip, fear streaked across her face. Ridley smiled and stroked her hair. "I love human fear! It smells...*SNIFF*...so good..."

Carla sneered at Ridley. "You're a disgusting monster!"

Ridley smiled. "And you...you're going to be what helps me kill your children! Whether you want to be or not..."

Carla growled at Ridley as they continued walking, eventually making their way through the broken inner gate of Wall Maria. "Where are you taking me?!"

Ridley chuckled. "I want to show you something Carla. Something amazing..."

As Ridley walked, he pulled the Splicing Rods out of his mouth. Carla stared at them in disgust. "Those are the things you tortured that poor girl with...what are you going to do with them now?!"

Ridley smiled and pointed in front on him. "You see through my eyes Carla, look for yourself..."

Ridley looked down at the giant hole in front of him and Carla gasped. The gigantic pit was writhing in front of them, a mass of movement and a spectacle of limbs. It was a hole full of Titans.

Carla Yeager shook her head, covering her mouth with her newly grown arms. "When did you dig this?!"

Ridley chuckled. "Over the past few years, whilst you were sleeping, stupid human..."

Carla grimaced. "But...what is it for?!"

Ridley let loose one last dark laugh. "To kill the Hunter, who I'm quite positive that worthless Beta test failed to kill, I'm going to need an army..."

Ridley bit of one of his fingers and activated the Splicing Rods. "This, Carla, is my new army..."

And then, Ridley spat his severed finger, full of his DNA, into the writhing pit of Titans, and then blasted them all with the Splicing Rods.

 _Carla watched in horror, unable to avert her gaze, even with her eyes closed, as the grotesque pit of Titans mutated into something much, MUCH worse. All the while, Ridley's horrid laughter echoed over the sounds of Titans screeching._

 _Author's Note: I would appreciate any feedback that you have so, please, review this. I would love both your praise and your criticism. And please, share with me if you think I made any mistakes._


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